Over The Midnight Moon
by FictionChic
Summary: "I don't think you understand how much I love you," Emmett whispered, "And I wish I had been able to tell you before everything fell apart." Emmett Cullen had laughed when he found out his kid brother was destined to fall in love with a human. "Tough break, Edward," he had said. Never in a million years did he think he would suffer the same fate until the day he met Kit Algren.
1. Swing Your Head Up High

"Kiiiittty, Kiiiiitty, Kitiiittty, Kiiiittty, Kiiiittty..."

"Mmm," Kit turned over in her bed and cracked her emerald green eyes open, looking into the matching eyes of her little sister, "Wha' Indi?"

Indigo grinned, showing off dimples and a smile with missing teeth, "You're up!" she exclaimed.

"Mhm," Kit yawned.

"Ew, gross!" Indigo cried, covering her face with her small hands when she felt Kit's warm breath hit her face, "Yucky!"

Kit gave a lazy grin and sat up, stretching her arms over her head, "M'sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean too."

Indigo scrunched up her nose and removed her hands, eying her older sister warily, "Mommy says you _have_ to get ready."

"Okay," Kit agreed, reaching out and placing a hand on Indigo's head. She frowned at her eight-year-old sister's appearance, becoming more alert, "Hey, how are you ready before me?"

Indigo grinned and bounced on her toes, "I got up _extra_ early to help mommy with breakfast and lunch. There's a surprise for you, kay?"

"Kay," Kit echoed, as she yawned again. She tossed her pastel yellow comforter aside and swung her legs over her mattress, "Lemme get ready."

"I'll go tell mommy," Indigo declared, running from the room.

"Be careful on the stairs," Kit called, running her hand through her bedhead. She took a moment to rub the sleep out of her eyes before she stood, her feet coming into contact with the carpet. As she went into the bathroom that was attached to both her and Indigo's room, she passed her outfit that she had laid out the night before and smiled widely.

Today was the day. Her first day at Forks High. Having just moved two days before, Kit was concerned that with all of the unpacking and rearranging of the new house, she wouldn't get enough sleep. But thinking positive, as she always did, things had worked out and she had gotten a full nine hours; feeling refreshed for the day to come.

She closed the door and then Indigo's, making sure that both were locked before she turned on the shower and stepped in, wetting her hair first to comb through the wavy tangles. She wasn't a restless sleeper, but having any type of hair that wasn't straight, knots just seemed to appear at random.

When her mother and father had announced that they would be moving from Hampton, New Hampshire to the small town of Forks, Washington, she hadn't been that distraught over it. She hadn't been the most popular girl at her old school—she was someone who'd rather stay home and read, or practice her beautiful violin than go out and party or go to the movies. Besides, she was quite content as having her mother and little sister as her best friends, which tended to make her quite the loner.

According to her mother's internet history, that she had yet to clear; Forks, Washington was beautiful and green. Trees and nature everywhere which definitely sounded appealing and hopefully, her mother would find her muse for more paintings and drawings. Yes, Forks was going to be a huge change, but Kit was looking forward to it. They had never moved before and the way she looked at it, it was a new adventure.

Kit popped open the top of her peach scented body wash and poured a large helping onto her frilly green loofa. She couldn't believe it was her first day at a new school. It was her Sophomore year and she was _so_ excited. She _loved_ school and anything to do with learning. She loved shopping for school supplies and getting a different colored notebook for each subject. She was an organization-nut and it clearly showed.

When the water turned cold, she shut it off and wrapped herself in a fluffy yellow towel and quickly dried off, toweling her hair dry before she wrapped it back around herself. She unlocked both doors to the bathroom and went back to her room, shivering at the goosebumps that broke out onto her body.

Her body relaxed at the sound of rain pattering gently on the roof and she sighed contently as she rubbed moisturizer on her face, her eyes squinting as they focused on her reflection in her oval-shaped mirror.

Kit stood 5'4, weighing 116 pounds, her body hourglass shaped. She had ivory colored skin, with dark brown freckles that covered her nose and both cheeks. Her eyes were emerald green and her hair was dark chocolate and wavy, cut into a choppy bob and parted slightly down the left.

After putting on deodorant and lotion, she slipped on her all black undergarments and proceeded to get dressed.

She wore a coral red puff sleeve Peter Pan chiffon blouse, the pure while collar beaded in a pearled and crystal floral design. The swing skirt she wore was black and high-waisted, the shoes black leather scalloped bow ballet flats. She tied the outfit together with a jet black hair scarf, smiling at her appearance. Perfect.

She twirled, chuckling when her skirt fanned out. It fell a little past her knees and shouldn't violate any dress code the school might have set and it looked relatively new despite the skirt having belonged to her mother from when she was a teenager.

"Kit?" there was a knock at her door, "Kit, can I come in?"

Kit grinned and nodded, "Yes, mom. Come in, I want you to see!"

The door opened, revealing a woman who resembled her daughter in many ways. Though, Everly Algren's hair was dirty blonde, straight, and fell past her shoulders. Her emerald eyes were alight with joy and she was only two inches taller than Kit.

"Look at you," Everly gasped, "Oh, my baby!"

"Thanks for the skirt," Kit twirled again, "It fits perfectly."

"The shirt too," Everly mumbled, smoothing it out, "Though, this was your grandmother's."

"Oh," Kit gasped, pulling away from her mom, "Speaking of grandma, I almost forgot."

She rushed over to her bedside table and grabbed the jewelry that rested on top. It was a silver rose embossed pendant locket necklace that looked rather old. Inside, featured a picture; a black and white picture of her grandma when she had been younger.

"Want help?" Everly asked, reaching out for the necklace.

Kit nodded and turned around, "Please."

"You really looked beautiful," Everly said, a warm smile on her face.

"Thank you," Kit grinned and then giggled, "You can borrow my clothes if you want."

Everly snorted, turning her daughter back around, "Your clothes are _my_ clothes. Well, I guess they used to be."

Kit hugged her mother. She was her best friend and they did everything together. Even when her mother was working, Kit would sometimes watch. They definitely had similar personalities. Always laughing and smiling.

"Come eat," Everly kissed Kit on her cheek, "Your sister's asking for you and your dad has a surprise."

"Okay," Kit nodded, "Just let me grab my coat and my bag."

Everly nodded and left the bedroom, going back downstairs to finish preparing breakfast.

Kit checked herself in the mirror one last time before she grabbed her pastel yellow, metro station occasion, trench coat. It didn't really match, but that was okay with her. She loved yellow, it was such a happy color.

She grabbed her jet black school satchel and double-checked that she had everything before flicking off her light, closing her door, and going downstairs where she could smell breakfast cooking.

Upon seeing her older sister come into the kitchen, Indigo gasped excitedly and rushed over, practically bouncing off the walls with excitement, her dirty blonde hair fanning out, "Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!"

"Indi, Indi, Indi!" Kit gasped, returning the enthusiasm. She grabbed her sister's hands, "What is it?"

Blake Algren snickered, running a hand through his shaggy dark brown hair, his blue eyes bright with amusement, "Indigo, honey, you're going to rip your sister's arms off," he met eyes with his eldest, "I think she's more excited about your surprise than you will be."

Kit giggled and went to her father's side to hug him good morning, "Hi, daddy. Ooh, waffles! Oh, and strawberries."

"Hey!" Blake cried, swatting Kit's hand away playfully, "You could have the courtesy to use a fork. Did you even wash your hands?"

Kit scrunched up her nose, "I just took a shower and I washed my hands after putting on my lotion. I'm clean."

"Good," Blake nodded and flipped a waffle onto another plate.

Everly sighed contently and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, resting her head on his back, "If you don't give Kit her surprise, Indigo's going to explode."

Blake barked out a laugh, throwing his head back. He was young, only thirty-four and well-built, the short-sleeved shirt defining his muscles and exposing his large tattoo on his right forearm. He had light beige skin and only a bit of stubble on his chin.

"Hurry _up_!" Indigo groaned.

"Indigo," Everly gave her daughter a warning look, "Tone, young lady. What do I always say?"

"Patience is a virtue," Kit recited, going to sit at the mahogany table.

Everly huffed, folding her arms across her chest, "Your sister was supposed to answer that."

Indigo huffed as well, scuffing the tip of her black Mary Janes on the floor, "Sorry, mommy."

Everly smiled and nodded, "It's okay. Go join your sister at the table."

"So..." Kit's eyes darted to the side and back, then narrowed, "Do I get my surprise or…?"

"Oh, yeah," Blake mumbled. He turned, "Okay, close your eyes and hold out your hands."

Kit did as she was told and covered her eyes with her hand, extending her free one, "Kay, I can't see."

Blake waved his hand in front of Kit's face, "You sure?"

" _Yes_ ," Kit insisted, "It's very dark."

"Very well," Blake chuckled and pulled something out of his pocket, "Here."

Kit felt something cold placed into her hand and she startled, closing her fingers around it, "Can I look?"

Blake nodded, even though Kit couldn't see him, "Mhm."

Kit removed the hand covering her face, allowing her eyes to flutter open. She blinked a few times and frowned before she recognized what was in her hand. Her loud squeak was drowned out by her sister giggling madly.

"It's a cell phone!" Indigo cried.

"Oh, wow," Kit turned over the warm amber Nokia 7360. She looked at her dad, her green eyes wide, "Really?"

"Your mother and I thought you were old enough," Blake wrapped an arm around Everly's shoulders, "You're sixteen and you've been a great help with this move. It's a big change from New Hampshire and you've been strong throughout. So, thank you."

"Thank you," Kit grinned, turning the device over in her hands, "Wow, I can't believe it."

"There's a camera and a video recorder," Everly pointed, "So, I want you to be _extremely_ careful. Nothing inappropriate and I don't want you texting or e-mailing all the time. Do you understand me?"

Kit nodded, slipping the phone into a pocket of her school bag. She would have time to mess with it later, "Yes, ma'am."

"I mean it, young lady," Everly said firmly, "It's a big responsibility. Hey, don't scrunch your nose at me!"

"'I'm sorry," Kit interjected quickly, "I just—I don't understand what you mean by 'inappropriate'. Like, what?"

"I-" Everly stopped suddenly and pursed her lips, the corners quirking up in a smile, "Oh, sometimes I forget who I'm talking too. Never mind, it's better if you don't know. You'll be responsible."

"Promise," Kit said, digging into her breakfast when a plate was placed in front of her, "Thanks, daddy."

"Of course," he pecked both his daughters atop their heads, "Do you want me to drive you to school?"

Kit swallowed her bite and then shook her head, "You don't have to do that."

"I want to," Blake said, going over to help his wife with the dishes, "Besides, I don't have to go out and take pictures for your mother until later."

"I thought you had a painting to critique?" Kit asked, handing her sister a napkin.

Everly snorted loudly, causing Indigo to burst into another fit of laughter.

"It, ah," Blake rubbed the back of his neck, "I-I'm trying to hold off on that one."

Kit grinned, her eyebrows almost to her hairline, "It's mom's?"

Everly wiped her hands on a dish towel, "Hey, it's how we met. But I'm hoping he'll go easy on me, this time."

Blake grabbed Everly's hand and spun her around, "Then I wouldn't be doing my job, darling."

Kit watched her parents with a soft smile on her face. Her parents had met in their early years of high school and apparently, it was love at first sight. They both loved art and chose it as their career paths. Even when they had Kit when Everly was almost eighteen and Blake nineteen, they were extremely happy and constantly in the honeymoon phase. It was wonderful and Kit found herself to be a little envious. She _so_ badly wanted something like that. The endless undying love her parents had for each other.

"Ya' ready to go, Kit?" Blake grabbed his keys off the hook by the phone, "Are you done?"

"Yes," Kit stood up and went over to place her syrupy plate in the sink. When she grabbed her bag off the back of her chair, she reached into one of the pockets and pulled out a pack of listerine mint strips, popping three into her mouth and letting them melt on her tongue.

Blake snorted, "A little overboard, don't you think?"

Kit shook her head, wincing a little, "No, I don't have time to brush my teeth again. I'll have to start eating breakfast beforehand."

Blake hummed in response and approached his wife first, pulling her away from the sink.

"Stop," Everly laughed, leaning away when he tried to kiss her, "Blake, my hands are all soapy!"

"That's fine," Blake grabbed her wrists and leaned forward, peppering kisses all over Everly's face before pressing a firm one to her lips, "There. I love you."

"I love you too," Everly was still giggling and tried to pull away, "Ahh! I'm getting water down my sleeves!"

Blake laughed and released Everly, in favor of going over to his youngest daughter, who was still licking syrup from her spoon, "I'll be back for you. So, make sure you clean up and then I'll take you to school."

"Okay, daddy," Indigo agreed, "Bye, Kitty."

"Bye, sweetheart," Kit leaned down and kissed her sister's forehead, "Have a nice day at school. I'll see you later. Bye mom!"

"Bye, Kit Kat," Everly smiled.

Kit returned the smile with a mischievous one, "I love you."

"I love you more," Everly replied.

Kit shook her head, "Not possible."

"Yes, possible," Everly kissed Kit's temple and hugged her.

Blake rolled his eyes playfully, "Before I'm fifty-seven, people! Honestly, Kit, you're going to be late."

"Okay, okay," Kit pulled on her jacket and buttoned it up, "I'm ready."

"Have a nice day," Everly called, going to sit by Indigo, "Learn and make friends!"

After calling another goodbye, Kit followed her father out to the Carbon Grey Pearl 2004 Acura TSX with matching interior that sat in the driveway. It was her father's car as she and Everly shared the other one. Their car was a 2004 Desert Sand Mica Toyota Corolla with light gray interior.

Kit had gotten her license a couple months after she had turned sixteen and she couldn't wait until she was able to get her own car.

She climbed into the front passenger seat of the Acura and exhaled softly before she closed the door and buckled her seat belt.

"What?" Blake asked, buckling his own seat belt, "Nervous?"

"Excited," Kit corrected, "I'm glad the school let me continue as a Sophomore."

Blake chuckled, pulling out of the driveway, "What? You thought they would make you go back to the beginning of the year?"

"I don't know," Kit shrugged, "It was a possibility. I'm sure it's happened."

"Yes," Blake agreed, "You're probably right. Though, you're a smart girl. I think you'll be able to finish on time."

Forks High school was located just off the highway; the welcome sign was old and the paint was peeling. She pursed her lips in worry at the sight of it. It looked like a bunch of separate buildings, which it probably was.

"We're early," Blake mumbled, looking around, "I don't see any cars. What do we do?"

"Look," Kit pointed to a building marked 'FRONT OFFICE', "I'll need to get my schedule and everything."

"Okay," Blake nodded and parked, "I'll wait for you here. Deep breath."

Kit breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth before she left the car, clutching the strap of her school satchel. She walked up the little stone path, pushing her hood down as she walked through the doors.

Inside, the building was warm and brightly lit. The office itself was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls and a big loud clock. Plants grew in large plastic pots and the room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, bespectacled red-haired woman.

The red-haired woman looked up as soon as Kit approached the counter, "Hello, dear. May I help you?"

"Hi," Kit greeted, beaming as she always did, "I'm, Kit Algren and I'm new here!"

"Oh, aren't you just the cutest little thing," the woman gushed, smiling at Kit's enthusiasm, "Yes, we've been expecting you, deary. My name is Ms. Cope and it's wonderful to meet you. I have your schedule and a map of the school right over here."

"Okay," Kit listened politely as Ms. Cope proceeded to go through each one of her classes and the map, marking things down with a neon yellow highlighter. It didn't seem too difficult, but then again, she was awful with directions and had even gotten lost in her own house.

"And please have your teachers sign this slip at the beginning of each class," Ms. Cope handed her a yellow slip of paper, "Bring it back to me at the end of the day. Don't forget."

"I won't," Kit promised, taking the slip, "Thank you so much, Ms. Cope."

"You're welcome," Ms. Cope was still smiling, "Have a nice first day and I'll see you after school."

Kit waved and pulled her hood back up as she went back out the car. The rain had lessened slightly, but not by much. It had rained the past couple of days as well and Kit was starting to think that it would never stop. She had never seen so much rain.

"How'd it go?" Blake asked, cranking up the heater, "You look happy."

"Ms. Cope is the secretary," Kit explained, looking at her schedule, "She was really nice and gave me a map with directions."

"Can I see that?" Blake held his hand out and took the piece of paper.

*Period 1 – General History 10

Period 2 – Algebra 2

Period 3 –Biology 1

Period 4 – Spanish

Lunch

Period 5 – English

Period 6 – Gym*

Blake made a face and handed the schedule back, following the other cars that had arrived, "It doesn't look very interesting."

"It doesn't?" Kit asked with disbelief. She frowned and looked at the paper again, "But I thought-" she stopped and rolled her eyes, "You're just saying that because there's no art class."

"Exactly," Blake exclaimed, "What kind of school has no art program!?"

"I'm sure there is," Kit reassured, "But I need to finish up the credits for the basic classes. I'll see if I can take an art elective next year."

"I'm holding you to that," Blake grinned and pulled into a parking spot. He sighed and turned off the car, "Well, here we are."

"Here we are," Kit echoed, looking out the window. She could see the sidewalk that led to the different buildings and it was full of teenagers.

"I'll see you right after school," Blake promised, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder, "Not a minute later. Then, we'll pick up Indigo on the way and stop by the store to pick up something for dinner."

"Okay," Kit nodded, relaxing, "Sounds good. I'll see you later, then."

"Later," Blake repeated.

As she left the car and looked for the right building, she noticed a few people staring, but tried not to pay it any mind. In fact, it was understandable. To most people, Kit looked strange wearing high-waisted swing skirts, hair scarfs, and other sorts of vintage clothing that she took from her mother and grandmother's closet when everyone else wore graphic tees, jeans, and sneakers. Kit's mother always teased her saying that she was born in the wrong era.

Kit's first class was history located in Building 6 and it wasn't that hard to find. Upon entering the classroom, she took off her jacket, mimicking the other students as she hung it up on a long row of hooks, smoothing out her top.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jefferson?" Kit approached the teacher's desk.

"Ah, hello," Mr. Jefferson greeted, placing a stack of papers aside, "You must be our new student."

"Yes, Sir," Kit nodded, handing him the slip, "I'm Kit Algren."

"Kit, huh?" Mr. Jefferson scribbled his signature on the slip before he handed it back to her, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. Why don't you take a seat next to Katie Marshall? Katie, can you raise your hand, please?"

A girl with fair skin, brown eyes, and straight red hair raised her hand, "Right here."

Kit took a seat at her desk just as the bell rang and she hooked her bag over the chair, pulling out a purple notebook and a pen. She hated writing in pencil.

"Hi," Katie whispered, leaning over, "You're new here?"

Kit smiled and whispered back, "Yes. I just moved a couple days ago an-

"Class," Mr. Jefferson clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention, "We have a new student, today."

" _Another_ one?" someone sitting in the back cried.

Kit frowned and looked at Katie, tilting her head to the side.

"We just got another new student," Katie whispered quickly, "Bella Swan, but she's a junior. A year above us."

"Yes, Mr. Melton, another new student," Mr. Jefferson said narrowing his eyes. He turned to Kit, "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

Kit nodded and stood up, biting her lip when a few guys whistled lowly. She raised a hand in greeting, "Um, hello there. I'm Kit Algren and I just moved here from Hampton."

"This is history," Mr. Jefferson interjected, "Why don't you tell us your favorite part about the subject? What you enjoy learning in this type of class?"

"Art history," Kit said without hesitation, "I love learning about the historical development."

"Very interesting," Mr. Jefferson nodded, impressed by the answer, "Thank you. We'll have to talk more about that. Feel free to sit."

Kit nodded and reclaimed her seat, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She had been nervous that her teachers would ask her to introduce herself, but it really hadn't been that bad.

Katie leaned over, her eyes darting to the side, "What was _that_?"

Kit looked at her, bewildered, "What was what?"

"Those guys whistling at you," Katie clarified, her voice a low hiss, "What was that about?"

Kit shrugged, slightly put off by the tone, "They're just being obnoxious, I suppose."

"Hmm," Katie hummed, "Anyway, you should come sit at my lunch table. It's where the popular kids sit. Well, _most_ of them are popular. Some of them are just annoying."

"Okay?" it came out as more of a question as Kit was unsure of how to properly respond. She wasn't a big fan of gossiping and had never seen the appeal of it, but maybe it was different here and everyone gossiped.

The class went by rather slowly, but Katie helped speed up the time by moving her desk closer and going over past assignments, whispering to Kit whenever Mr. Jefferson wasn't looking. She had even programmed her phone number into Kit's new cellphone much to the latter's surprise.

"That's your mom's old skirt?" Katie asked once the bell had rung, "Really?"

Kit smiled and nodded, "Mhm. The top was my grandma's."

Katie chuckled, "Really? Wow, I can't believe that. It's _really_ different compared to what people usually wear. No wonder everyone's stari—oh, there's Lauren, come meet her. She's a junior."

Kit allowed Katie to grab her wrist and drag her over to a girl who was standing near a wall in the hallway surrounded by a few girls and guys who chattered enthusiastically.

"Lauren," Katie cried, getting the girl's attention, "This is Kit."

Lauren Mallory had long, cornsilk, blonde hair, green fishy eyes with pale eyebrows, and stood 5'6. She looked Kit up and down, "Kit?"

"Kit Algren," she smiled, "Nice to meet you, Lauren."

"Hello, there," one of the guys said, holding out a hand. He looked Kit up and down as well, his gaze lingering a little too long, "I'm Mike Newton."

Mike had pale blue eyes and blond hair.

"It's nice to meet you," Kit said sincerely, shifting under all the stares from the group. She was _so_ awkward, "But, um—I really have to get to class. There's only five minutes a-

She was cut off when Lauren laughed too loudly and Kit bit her lip.

"Yeah, you don't want to be late," Lauren said mockingly, "What's your name again?"

"Kit," she said simply, "Kit Algren."

"Kit," Lauren rolled her eyes and turned to glare at Katie, "Where did you find her?"

Katie glanced at Kit nervously and then ran a hand through her hair, "W-we have first period together."

"I'm jealous," Mike smirked, "Are you going to sit with us at lunch?"

"She better," a boy who was more tan than most of the teens at the school seemed to be, grinned. He had an athletic build with brown hair and brown eyes, "Kit, huh? Interesting name."

"Thanks," Kit smiled shyly and jabbed a thumb behind her, "It was really nice meeting you, but I really have to go. I'll see you later and thanks for the help in class, Katie!"

Lauren smacked Tyler's arm when she realized that he was staring, "Tyler!"

"Hey," Tyler recoiled from the touch, "What was that for?"

A girl who was 5'1, and had voluminous curly dark brown hair and blue eyes scoffed, "Tyler, you should really wipe the drool from your chin before it gets on the floor."

"I was being nice," Tyler defended, self-consciously wiping a hand over his mouth, "Is there a problem with that?"

"Of course not," Lauren said, a fake smile on her face, "Just don't stare. It's weird and you'll creep her out."

"So, everything is okay?" Katie asked slowly. She had been trying to get into Lauren's friend group since last year and she didn't want to blow her chances. Especially since she was only a Sophomore.

"Yes," Lauren assured, "Everything is great. Come on, let's just get to class. The sooner history is over, the better."

* * *

"...Almost two weeks ago, I think," Bella continued, falling in step with Kit, "It will be nice to have someone new."

Kit laughed. It turned out that the language classes were integrated with different grades. She sat next to Bella Swan a girl with a very pale complexion, long, straight, dark brown hair, a widow's peak, unique chocolate brown eyes and a heart-shaped face with a wide forehead. She was a very sweet girl and had been a lot of help in Spanish.

" _Bella_!"

"Oh," Bella stopped walking, moving clumsily to the side so that other students could continue to the cafeteria. She looked at Kit, "That's my...friend, Jessica Stanley."

Jessica skipped over, a smile plastered on her face, "Hey."

"Hi," Bella greeted. She gestured to Kit, "Jess, this is Kit Algren."

"Yes, I know," Jessica nodded slowly, "We've met already. In the hallway before second period."

"Hello," Kit addressed, smiling, "Long time no see."

Jessica faked a laugh and nodded, "Yes, it's been too long. How did you two meet?"

"She's in our Spanish class," Bella reminded, glancing over her shoulder. The covered sidewalk that led to the cafeteria was practically empty now.

"Let's go," Jessica suggested, beginning to lead the way. She looked over at Bella, smirking, "So, where's your boyfriend?"

"Jessica," Bella hissed, "Oh my— _stop_!"

Jessica giggled behind her hand and Kit looked at Bella, a smile on her face, "Aww, you have a boyfriend?"

"No," Bella groaned, covering her face with her hands, "I _don't_."

"It's Edward Cullen," Jessica continued as they approached the crowded lunch table, "Wait, let's sit and then I'll explain."

"Ugh," Bella groaned again, shaking her head.

"Kit!" Katie smiled upon seeing her, "I was wondering where you were."

Lauren pursed her lips, glancing over at Tyler and Mike.

"With us," Jessica said, "Oh, who got me lunch?"

"I did," a girl with with light brown, honey streaked hair and gentle brown eyes smiled, "You get the same thing, Jess and the line was getting long."

"Thanks," Jessica patted Angela's shoulder and sat down.

"Hi, Kit. I'm Angela Weber. It's nice to meet you," she held out a hand.

"The pleasure is mine," Kit said, shaking her hand.

"I like your shoes," Angela commented, "The bows are really cute."

"Thanks, they'r-

"-They're her mother's," Lauren finished in a snotty voice.

"Mhm," Kit nodded in conformation, "We're the same shoe size."

A few people laughed, but Angela only looked interested and then chuckled, "Really? I wish my mom and I were the same size. I'd have so many options, then."

Kit smiled warmly at that and then pulled out her lunch bag, "It does make buying shoes a lot easier."

"Kit's from Hampton," Katie cut in, drawing the attention back to her, "Like, Hampton _beach_."

"No way," Mike gasped, his blue eyes disbelieving.

Kit nodded, taking a sip from her water bottle.

"Cool," Tyler grinned, "I bet that's a lot better. Why would you move here?"

"Tyler," Jessica snapped, narrowing her eyes when she saw the look on Lauren's face, "Quit bothering her. We were _actually_ having a conversation beforehand."

Bella sighed heavily and Jessica laughed again, her irritated mood seeming to disintegrate.

"Okay," Jessica started, "So, there was this car accident-

"Aw, Jess," Tyler huffed, "Please, don't!"

"Hush," Jessica mumbled, "Anyway, Kit. Edward Cullen..."

* * *

"... _Anyway, Kit. Edward Cullen_..."

"Again?" Rosalie Hale rolled her eyes, flipping her perfect blonde hair over her shoulder, "You think after the millionth time, she would get tired of retelling that story."

"It gets her attention," Jasper mumbled.

"What is she thinking?" Alice asked worriedly, "The new girl."

Edward sighed and gave the smallest shrug of his shoulder, but answered, "She's hoping that I'm okay. That no damage was done."

"Damage was done all right," Rosalie growled, picking at an apple.

"No suspicions?" Emmett asked, ignoring Rosalie's comment.

"None," Edward confirmed, "Her thoughts are very selfless. She's actually thinking about her little sister, Indigo."

"Indigo?" Rosalie scoffed, "That's a stupid name."

"It's cute," Alice defended. Her sister had been in such a mood lately. Always on edge since the car accident that had almost exposed them all, "Don't be so harsh, Rose. There might be a special meaning behind it."

"There is," Edward sighed again. He missed Bella, but he had to keep his distance. He just had to, "Her parents are both in the art world."

"I like her top," Alice smiled, "I'll have to ask her-

"You will do _no_ such thing," Rosalie hissed, "We're in enough trouble as-

"No one's in trouble," Alice corrected, "You know the future, Rosalie. I _told_ you. Everything is fine."

"Everything is _not_ fine. You-

"Rose," Emmett reached over and placed his hand atop hers.

At Emmett's touch, Rosalie relaxed and she could feel Jasper lending some assistance by manipulating her emotions. Emmett was just the kind of guy she needed in her life. It was too bad she had no romantic interest in him. He would make the perfect mate—he was cute, funny, strong. For awhile, she had tried to force herself to become romantically interested in him, but she couldn't and occasionally, that frustrated her. If it wasn't for his childish features that painfully reminded her of Veera's little Henry, then she had no doubt that her and Emmett would be together.

But these stupid humans thought they were. It was annoying, really. But she supposed it was none of their business. It was true, Emmett was like her right arm. He was her best friend and they did everything together—she was a better person because of him and was very protective. That's why the gossip about their relationship and the comments she heard caused such an intense aggravation. He had a very special place in her still heart.

"She's not suspicious?" Alice's voice snapped Rosalie out of her thoughts and she saw Alice directing the question at her husband.

"No," Jasper muttered, "Her emotions are very positive. Happy and bubbly."

"Good," Alice relaxed. She hid it well, but she was concerned for her family. She didn't want to leave. Especially now that Edward has found his mate.

"Alice," Edward growled.

"You're only making things more difficult," Alice snapped, annoyed, "It's hurting you and it's hurting her. It's a test of your self-control, yes, but your love-

"I don't love her!" Edward slammed his fist on the table, wincing when a few people looked over, "I don't," he repeated in a low tone.

" _Yet_ ," Alice quipped, "And when you accept that fact, things will get a lot easier. Until then, you can continue to wallow in your own self-pity."

With that said, she stood up, going to dump out her empty lunch tray.

Edward gritted his teeth. He and Alice were very close as they were both freaks among freaks, but she really knew how to get on his nerves sometimes. Especially when it had to do with his future with Bella Swan.

"She did that on purpose," Rosalie glared over her shoulder, "She's talking to _her_."

"... _I just_ _ **had**_ _to tell you_ ," Alice said, beaming, " _I really like it_!"

" _Thank you, Alice,_ " Kit grinned, returning the energy, " _I like yours too. And your sister's. Her name is Rosalie_?"

" _Mhm_ ," Alice nodded, " _I'll tell her you said that_."

Rosalie snorted. Like she cared what some human thought about the way she dressed. She was sure that her whole outfit cost more than Kit's house.

" _I heard about the accident_ ," Kit's voice turned sad, " _Your family is all right? No one was hurt_?"

" _No, we're all fine_ ," Alice promised, " _Edward was standing right next to her_."

" _Good_ ," Kit seemed genuinely relieved, " _That's good. Oh, th—Alice? Alice, are you okay_?"

Jasper was the first to whip his head around and he jumped to his feet, getting ready to dart over and get his wife.

"Don't," Edward held his hand up, "Her eyes are closed."

"It's not like this hasn't happened before," Emmett commented, "In the hallway, class, while she drives."

But Jasper wasn't convinced and he growled a warning when Emmett grabbed his other arm, keeping him in place.

"Chill," Emmett demanded, "Look, she's coming out of it. Listen."

" _Sorry_ ," Alice's eyes fluttered open and she smiled apologetically, " _Dizzy spell_."

" _Oh_ ," Kit gasped and dug around in her bag, pulling out a small bottle of juice, " _Here, take this, then. It should help_."

" _Thank you_ ," Alice took the juice from Kit, but she had no plans to drink it, " _Well, it was nice meeting you. My_ _siblings_ _are waiting for me and we all need to get to class_."

" _Bye, Alice_ ," Kit wiggled her fingers and watched her for a moment before she turned and left the cafeteria, her skirt swishing behind her.

Alice glided back over and into Jasper's arms when he held them out.

"Darlin', are you okay?" Jasper demanded, cupping her cheek.

"I'm fine," Alice promised, "I found out where she got her blouse."

"You're _such_ a child," Rosalie snarled, "That was very dangerous. Are you insane?"

"Nope," Alice smiled, looking at the back of the bottle, "She gave me juice."

"Oh my _gosh_ ," Rosalie huffed and snatched her books off the table, storming out of the cafeteria, cursing the whole way.

"C'mon, we're going to be late," Emmett mumbled before he grabbed his books and jogged at a normal pace to catch up to Rosalie.

"What did you see?" Jasper asked, his blonde eyebrows knitting together.

"It was strange," Alice grabbed her books from the table and held them to her chest, using her free hand to hold Jasper's, "I'm not quite sure. Bella was still there, but it...the vision _changed_ ," she looked at Edward when he smirked, "Don't look so smug, big brother. Your future is still the same. It's Emmett's I'm concerned about."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Really excited for this story! Anyone notice the 'Finding Carter' reference?**

 **\- FictionChic**


	2. So Feel The Love And Let It In

_Emmett sat on the couch, his body perfectly straight and his eyes wide as they stared out the large glass window. His hands were clenched into tight fists and his mouth was slightly parted in shock. He had been in that position for three hours._

 _"I feel bad," Alice whispered, clutching Jasper. She leaned her head on his chest as he began to rub her back, "I shouldn't have said anything. It wasn't the right time."_

 _Rosalie snarled, "Of course it wasn't the right damn time! You just **love** to make things harder for this f-_

 _"Rosalie," Carlisle exclaimed firmly, "Not. Another. Word."_

 _Rosalie growled, but said nothing else. After Alice had revealed Emmett's future, she had destroyed over a quarter of Esme's kitchen before she had calmed down to the point where she wasn't at risk to dismember her family. Jasper's gift was still influencing her and it was only serving to feed her muted irritation._

 _"Alice is not at fault," Edward snapped, quickly defending his favorite sister, "She does not set the future, she sees it."_

 _"I guess you would come to Emmett's defense," Rosalie quipped, "Since you're both suf-_

 _"Rosalie," Esme interrupted, "What did Carlisle say? That is enough. You are acting like a child! Stop it!"_

 _Rosalie huffed, folding her arms across her chest. She spoke once more, her tone shaky, but controlled, "Does no one else understand the danger we have been put in? How many times do I have to say it? We have to be more careful than **anyone** else! This is unacceptable."_

 _Carlisle nodded in understanding and looked at Alice, "The child does not suspect anything?"_

 _"Nope," a small smile appeared on her face, "And she has no reason too. Her future is—it's quite strange. Flickers, mostly—like a flip book, but the one with Emmett is certain."_

 _Carlisle placed his hand on Emmett's shoulder, concern evident in his beautiful face. He didn't think vampires could go into shock or become paralyzed._

 _Still, behind his worry was absolute joy. After all of these centuries, both of his sons had finally found their mates. Though the girls were both human and knowing that Emmett was the strongest vampire out there, that factor concerned Carlisle as well, but Alice sounded so confident that everything would work out and he never had a reason to doubt his daughter._

 _Carlisle remembered the day Rosalie had brought Emmett to his office. She had carried him over 100 miles, and was in complete hysterics when she arrived, begging him to save the boy who had been mauled by a bear, scared that she would kill him, instead. It had taken both Edward and Esme to drag her out of the room before she gave into her thirst._

 _He had been so sure that Emmett would become Rosalie's mate—more sure than when he had thought she would be perfect for Edward. Rosalie and Emmett certainly acted like they were together. They rivaled him and Esme in many aspects. Emmett constantly called Rosalie his 'Angel' and they flirted playfully and did almost everything together._

 _But he supposed they were missing a spark. Carlisle never inquired about it, but he could see something is Rosalie's eyes every time she looked at Emmett. A look of fondness and contentment as she thought back to whatever was on her mind when she saw Emmett._

 _"Edward?" Esme's speaking snapped Carlisle out of his thoughts._

 _Edward rolled his eyes, looking somewhat amused, "He's fine. Dramatic, but fine."_

 _"Because you're reaction was **so** much better?" Alice snorted, "You're still in denial. It's very irritating. I miss Bella," she sighed sadly and looked at Emmett, "Am I allowed to talk to Kit?  I at least want to spend time with **one** of my new best friends."_

 _The desperate longing in Alice's voice seemed to snap Emmett out of whatever stupor he was in and he moved to look at Alice, staring at her as if she had two heads. She has spoken with the same tone when she had first spoken about Bella. There was love and care in her voice, as if she and Kit had been friends for a lifetime rather than only having one conversation by the cafeteria trashcans._

 _"...She's so sweet," Alice continued, a smile on her face, "Very selfless and her fashion sense isn't **that** atrocious. She could use a few pointers, of course."_

 _"Al, are you sure about this?" Jasper demanded._

 _Alice nodded, "I'm not sure how or when she'll find out exactly," she turned to Emmett, "That's ultimately up to you, but she'll find out and she'll be okay with it."_

 _Rosalie hissed in fury, "So, she becomes one of us?" she whipped around to face the blonde leader of the coven, "Carlisle, that's **too** many-_

 _"I don't know Rosalie," Alice piped up. She continued speaking when her sister turned to face her again, "I can see her becoming one of us...it's just...blurry. Like I said, her future with Emmett is set, but that is all."_

 _Rosalie still looked displeased, her eyebrows knitting together. In all honesty, she had never really thought about Emmett having a mate. She had thought he was like her: content being single and surrounded by her family, playing it by ear. All this time, had he been lonely and she hadn't noticed? Be that as it may, a human was the last thing she expected Emmett to be with. No, scratch that. It hadn't even crossed her mind because the mere thought of that was idiotic._

 _"Emmett, say something," Alice begged. He was still staring at her, "This **does** concern you, in case you have failed to notice."_

 _Emmett blinked, "W-what do you want me to say?" he managed to choke out, "What the hell am I supposed to do about this?"_

 _Alice sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought._

That had been early in the morning. Her family didn't sleep, so there was plenty of time to converse, but it seemed like Alice had to take things into her own hands.

Now, Alice Cullen never did anything that wasn't for a reason. That's why instead of sitting with her siblings at lunch, she followed Kit to the library. The future was a complicated game of chess and she was determined to get to check.

At first, she hadn't told Edward or Jasper any details about her vision when they had asked. She had brushed them off and mumbled something about Emmett, but that had been the only words she would speak of it and thankfully, her siblings left it at that. It wasn't until later, that Edward had read her mind and she had blurted it out before he could get angry and demand answers.

She found Kit sitting at a table near the back of the library. The girl was dressed in a button-up saffron short-sleeved cardigan dotted with white polka dots, navy blue high-waisted fitted cotton stretch capri pants, and black glossy faux leather Mary Janes with a low heel. The wired headband she wore in her wavy hair matched her cardigan and was saffron in color with white polka dots.

" _The Great Gatsby_ ," Alice whispered, taking a seat across from Kit.

Kit startled and looked up, a smile appearing on her face when she saw who it was, "Hello, Alice."

"Hi," Alice returned to smile and pointed to the book, "You like F. Scott Fitzgerald?"

Kit nodded, "He has a way with words, does he not? This is for English, actually, but I enjoy it all the same."

Alice hummed in agreement, "Why are you here by yourself?"

"I have a lot to catch up on," Kit bit her lip, remembering her workload, "Monday's and Friday's, I'll be in the cafeteria and the days in between, I'll spend here. Just until I'm all caught up."

"I see," Alice mused, "Do you mind if I study with you?"

"Not at all," Kit smiled, placing the book down in favor of picking up a black pen, "I'd love some company."

"Great," Alice pulled out a blank piece of paper. All of her homework was done and perfect and she could write another essay just from memory. It'd be done before the bell even rang, "So, why did you move here?"

Kit flicked her eyes up, "Ahh, my mother's an artist and there's been more requests for nature work. She couldn't find much inspiration in Hampton, so we moved. So far, I really like it here. It's pretty and—well, it's peaceful and soothing, I suppose you could say."

"Your father too?" Alice asked, though she knew the answer.

"Art critic, mostly," Kit smiled again, "But he does some photography on occasion. What about your parents?"

Alice pretended the fidget, clicking her pen a few times, "My father's a doctor. A surgeon to be more specific and my mother does some architecture. Photography as well."

"Really?" Kit eyes widened, "That's really nice," she paused for a second before asking her next question, "Is it fun? Having so many siblings?"

Alice chuckled lightly, "Yes, most of the time. We all get along very well and our entire family is close, but we do have our spats here and there. Do you have any siblings?"

Kit grinned widely and nodded, "A little sister. Indigo."

"You seem very fond of her," Alice commented.

Kit tucked a strand of hair behind her hair, a shy smile on her face, "She's my whole world."

They both fell into a comfortable silence after that, the only sounds were their writing utensils scratching against paper, and the sound of the librarian sighing or clearing her throat as she worked on her old desktop computer.

"Did you eat lunch already?"

The question surprised Alice and she looked up from her paper to see Kit looking at her, "Pardon?"

"Your lunch," Kit repeated, frowning, "There's no food or drinks allowed in the library and I was wondering if you had eaten or not? My apologies for prying, but I'm just concerned. You get dizzy spells, don't you?"

Alice blinked a few times, "I—yes, I do."

Seeing that Alice was going to say no more, Kit bit the inside of her cheeks and turned back to her paper, "It's none of my business, I know. But I have more juice if you need it."

"Thank you," Alice easily slipped back into her character, "I ate beforehand with my siblings."

Kit's shoulders seemed to relax some, "Good, that's good."

Another silence fell over them and Kit focused intently on her English paper. It had barely been two days, but she liked Alice Cullen. The girl seemed nice and genuine and Kit hoped Alice became a close friend one day.

Bella, in particular she already got along with. Kit definitely had a different opinion on the book, but she and the other brunette had a mutual interest in _Jane Eyre_ and _Wuthering Heights_. Kit couldn't deny any book that was a classic. Even if it was sort of cheesy and lacked any expression that wasn't vulgar. It was an interesting debate as they walked to their cars after school, but it had ended in laughter and promises of continuation.

All in all, the move was great. Indigo had spent hours talking in detail about her elementary school and Kit's parents had spoken fondly of the townsfolk and scenery. Everyone was happy and adjusting. That's what mattered.

Kit was able to finish her essay and start on her Algebra by the time the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch and the beginning of the five minute passing period.

"Thank you for joining me," Kit said as she put her things away, "It was lovely."

Alice nodded, standing up in one graceful motion, "You're welcome," she smiled, then and tilted her head to the side, "We're going to be great friends, Kit."

Kit looked up from her bag, her eyes wide, "We are?"

Alice nodded, "Mhm."

Kit smiled warmly, "Great, then. I'm looking forward to it."

Alice leaned forward and kissed Kit's cheek, catching the girl by surprise, "Me too."

The short pixie-like girl was already gliding gracefully out of the library just as Kit opened her mouth to say something.

Kit pursed her lips, her eyes holding nothing but confusion at the odd farewell. Shaking her head, she quickly snapped out of it and resumed gathering together her things for her next class.

* * *

Emmett stood by Edward's bright silver Volvo, his arms folded across his chest as he watched Kit walk gracefully across the parking lot, a small smile on her face and her books held to her chest. She was cute, he had to admit. Gorgeous. He loved how there was constant light in her eyes and the way her nose scrunched up. It was sort of adorable.

From what he could tell (and from hounding Alice and Edward), Kit was rather humble and a bit awkward. She always had a smile on her face and loved school, music, and reading.

But she was human—fragile, brittle, dainty, breakable. She was a tiny little thing, and he was probably the strongest vampire in the world, being able to pulverize a boulder with just his pinky. That made things even more dangerous as he could easily hurt Kit and though he didn't think he harbored any romantic feelings for her, he would be devastated if he were to cause her any type of harm.

"She's like another Alice," Edward mumbled, frowning at Emmett's thoughts, "Can you handle that?"

Emmett glared, "You really have some nerve, bro. Like your situation is better. Have you talked to Bella today, or are you still avoiding her like the plague?"

Edward looked away, "Different situations."

Emmett flicked his eyebrows up, "Enlighten me, kid."

" _Hey_ , _Kit_!"

Whatever Edward had planned to say was forgotten as they turned their heads slightly to see Tyler Crowley jogging after Kit. Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice were in the car, but could no doubt hear the conversation.

As always, Kit was radiating happiness and she paused in her steps to greet him, " _Hi_ , _Tyler_."

" _Hey_ ," Tyler repeated, blinking a few times. He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, " _Hi_."

" _Hello_ ," Kit let out a breathy chuckle, " _Everything all right_?"

" _Yeah_ ," Tyler said quickly, " _I just_..."

"He's going to ask her out," Edward said, just loud enough for his siblings to hear.

Emmett clenched his fists, but reacted no other way.

" _Do_ — _would_ _you l_ - _like to do something_ , _F_ - _Friday_?" Tyler stuttered out, his face red.

Emmett pursed his lips, glancing briefly at Alice and Edward, silently hoping that one of them could tell him Kit's answer.

"No," Edward answered.

Kit eyes widened slightly and then she smiled a sad smile, " _You're very sweet_ , _but I can't_. _I have plans with someone else_."

Oh? If possible, Emmett listened more carefully. Had another guy asked her out?

As if reading his mind, the stupid human's face fell and Tyler sighed, " _Another guy_?"

Kit giggled and shook her head, " _My little sister_ , _actually_. _I promised her that we would spend time together_."

A smile of amusement quirked Edward's lips and he glanced at Emmett. From inside the car, even Jasper chuckled, feeling the relief that Emmett was unknowingly projecting.

" _Some other time_?" Tyler asked hopefully.

Emmett rolled his eyes, half tempted to go over there and step in between them. He didn't need to have supernatural eyesight to see that Kit wasn't interested. Didn't this guy know when to give up?

" _You're sweet_ ," Kit repeated. Slight color had filled her cheeks, " _But I think we're better off as friends_ , _hm_? _Thank you for asking me_ , _though_. _It was nice of you_."

Tyler looked at her, bewildered and then he covered his face with his hand, beginning to laugh.

" _What_?" Kit chuckled, amused herself, " _Why are you laughing at me_?"

Emmett was curious himself and he sighed impatiently, narrowing his eyes when Edward smirked. Edward was easily his favorite sibling, but right now, he wanted nothing more to punch his brother in the face.

"I'll see it coming," Edward promised this knowingly, while he tapped his head. He lowered his hand and lifted his chin towards Kit and Tyler, "Listen."

" _Just_... _you_ ," Tyler snickered, his voice slightly muffled. He shook his head and let his hand drop, " _Wow_. _I've only been turned down a few times_ , _but no one's ever turned me down like that_. _You're_ _something else_ , _Kit_."

Kit arched an eyebrow, " _Thank you_?"

" _Kitty_!" a few cars a way, a little girl poked her head out of the window she rolled down, " _Hurry up_!"

Emmett was surprised at Kit's reaction. She didn't look at all embarrassed that her baby sister had shouted the odd nickname and instead, smiled and nodded.

" _I'm coming_ , _sweetheart_ ," Kit promised, " _In a minute_."

Indigo huffed and settled back in her seat, her arms folded across her chest.

Kit smiled at Tyler, " _I have to go or my sister will come get me and that won't be pretty_."

Tyler looked at Kit oddly and then he groaned, " _Hey_ , _wait_. _Um_ , _watch out for Mike_ , _Conner_ , _and Eric_."

Kit paused in her steps and frowned, " _Watch out for them_? _Why_?"

Tyler grinned, his eyes mischievous and smug, " _They all had plans to ask you out too_ , _but I got to you first_."

Emmett wondered if Jasper could feel the awe and discomfort that Kit was projecting, but it angered him more than anything. Kit had barely been in school two days and already guys were trying to date her and throw themselves at her feet. Did they even know her last name? Was the word 'boundaries' not in their vocabulary?

Kit frowned, shifting her weight, " _I don't_ — _did I do something_?" she asked quietly.

Seeing how uncomfortable Kit was, Tyler puffed out his cheeks, breathing out loudly, " _Aw_ , _don't look like that_. _Look_ , _it's not you_. _It's_ _ **you**_."

" _Pardon_?" Kit whispered.

" _Your arrival_ ," Tyler sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck, " _You're new_ , _and we don't get many new students around her. And I mean_ , _like_ , _**new**_ _students_ — _new people_. _You and Bella are different than the other girls from around here_."

Edward glanced up at the mention of Bella. Now that Tyler couldn't get Kit, was he planning on asking Bella out again? Even though the girl had already said no after the car accident?

" _Oh_ ," Kit frowned in obvious displeasure, " _That's not nice_."

" _What_?" Tyler asked.

" _That's_ _ **rude**_ ," Kit's frown deepened and she shook her head, " _That guys are only interested because we're something new_? _A new toy_? _That's not nice_ , _at all_."

Emmett smirked. So, he had landed himself a secret spitfire? Maybe he could work with that.

"Emmett," Edward mumbled, rolling his eyes, "Think logically."

"We only have a sister who can see the damn future," Emmett said sarcastically, "You're right, we shouldn't listen to her, should we?"

"... _But I appreciate you for telling me the truth_ ," Kit continued, her voice gentle again, " _Not a lot of people will do that_. _Um_ , _I really have to get going now_ , _but I'll see you tomorrow_?"

" _Yeah_ ," Tyler nodded, still looking disappointed, " _And I'll talk to the guys for you_ , _tell them you already have a date_."

The right side of Kit's mouth quirked up in a smile and she giggled, when Tyler winked at her, regarding him for a moment, " _Thank you_. _Have a nice evening_."

Tyler raised a hand, beginning to walk backwards, " _You too_ , Kit. _See ya_ '."

Emmett watched Kit open the car door, smiling when he heard Indigo cry out with joy at the sight of her older sister.

Alice unnecessarily rolled down the window and poked her head out, "Kit loves her sister more than anything. She thinks it's nice that we have such a big family."

"You talked about our family?" Rosalie demanded, on high-alert.

"Yes," Alice crossed her legs, rolling up the window when Edward and Emmett climbed into the two front seats, "At lunch."

"I was worried about you," Jasper admitted, grabbing Alice's hand.

"I know," Alice sighed, "But I needed to talk to Kit. I mean, Emmett, if you're not going to."

"Chill, Alice," Emmett rolled his eyes, "Does this really need to happen, right now?"

"Why not?" Alice shrugged, "Why torture yourself like Edward?"

Emmett sighed and glanced at his brother, "He _does_ look miserable."

Edward growled and clutched the steering wheel tighter. If he truly loved Bella like Alice had said—if he was destined to care about her, then the least he could do is try to save her from this life that they were all condemned to. He could save her soul and keep her out of harms way.

"Don't look so down," Emmett grinned and clapped his brother on the back. He sighed contently, "Everything is going to work out."

Edward forced a crooked grin, "You see the future now?"

The sound of Emmett's booming laugh filled the car, "Nah," he finally answered, "You just gotta think positive."

Edward snorted, "Positive? Right."

"No sense in stressing," Emmett continued, talking mostly to himself, "It'll all work out."

* * *

Kit sighed softly as she swirled her spoon into her melting vanilla ice cream. She stuck her spoon in her mouth and slowly pulled it out, sighing again. Her free arm rested atop the kitchen table, her head in her palm.

"That's an awful lot of sighing, Kit Kat," Blake commented, looking up from his own bowl of chocolate ice cream, "What's up?"

Kit glanced up, "A boy asked my out today."

"Oh my gosh," Everly exclaimed, pressing both hands to her cheeks, "Honey, that's wonderful."

"No, it's not," Blake and Kit said at the same time.

A smile quirked Kit's lips and she looked at her father, "Daddy..."

Blake pointed his spoon at his eldest, "You're too young to be dating."

"She's only a year younger than we were," Everly waved him off, then looked over at Indigo, "Sweetie, why don't you go upstairs with your daddy? You look sleepy."

"Mm-mm," Indigo shook her head and yawned.

"Mhm," Everly argued, brushing Indigo's hair back, "Upstairs, young lady."

"C'mon," Blake picked up both their bowls and placed them in the sink, "Upstairs, we go, Indi."

Indigo sighed dramatically and looked at her mother, "Do I have to?"

"Yes," Everly smiled, "I promise, your bed will be a lot more comfortable than the kitchen table."

"Fine," Indigo grumbled out, pushing away from the table, "Goodnight."

"Night," Kit kissed her sister's cheek, "Sleep well."

"K," Indigo yawned, reaching out to grab her father's hand, allowing him to lead her upstairs.

"Now," Everly said, once the two were out of earshot, "Tell me about this boy."

Kit shrugged, "His name's Tyler and he asked me out after school. I said no, then, he said that these other guys had plans to ask me out, but I got really uncomfortable and he said they'd back off."

"Oh," Everly blinked a few times, "That's...weird. I don't like that, you've only been-

"-at school for a couple of days," Kit finished, "Yes. Tyler said it was because I'm new. There's another new girl, too. Bella Swan and Tyler said it's because we're different. You know, we didn't grow up here like everyone else."

"Hmm," Everly hummed in displeasure, her eyes on her daughter who was too interested in her melted bowl of ice cream, "And that's the only reason you said 'no'?"

Kit shifted in her chair, "No," she mumbled.

Everly tilted her head to the side, "Is it a possibility that you like girls?"

"No," Kit shook her head, not at all bothered or embarrassed by the question, "I like guys."

Everly nodded, waiting patiently.

Kit watched the ice cream drip from the spoon and back into the white ceramic bowl, "It's just—I looked at Tyler and I've looked at Mike, Eric, Conner. I didn't see that spark, you know? It didn't hit me like... _bam_!"

"Bam?" Everly smiled in amusement, "Is that how it happens, nowadays?"

"Mom..." Kit groaned, "I'm serious."

Everly chuckled, "Yes, I know, I get it," she reached over and placed her hand atop Kit's, "You'll find that person, honey. I promise. You'll look into someone's eyes and feel that spark."

"And hopefully that isn't anytime soon," Blake came back down the stairs, joining the girls at the table.

"Blake..." Everly scolded with a small laugh, "It's fine, honey. She's old enough and you know she's responsible."

"It's not her I'm worried about," Blake frowned and folded his arms across his chest, "Now, tell me about this boy. I want his name, his class schedule, the type of car he dri-

"Mom," Kit begged, unable to keep in her laugh, "Help?"

"Go to bed," Everly snickered, "I'll handle your father and clean up, here."

"Thank you," Kit breathed in dramatic relief and hugged her father tightly, "Night, daddy."

"Night, Kit Kat," Blake patted his daughter's hand, "Sleep well. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

"I won't," Kit promised, "Night, mom. I love you."

"I love you more," Everly sang, placing the bowl in the dishwasher.

Kit shook her head, smiling as always, "Not possible."

"Yes, possible," Everly hugged Kit, "Tea party still on for Friday after school?"

"You know it," Kit grinned and turned away to yawn, stretching her arms over her head, "Goodnight," she called a final time.

"Night," both her parents replied.

Kit made her way upstairs, tiptoeing quietly by Indigo's room. She could already hear her sister's even breathing and Kit shut her door before she flicked on the light.

Her room was quite simple. The queen-sized mattress on a simple white bed frame with turquoise sheets and a pastel yellow comforter with matching yellow pillows. The cream-colored carpet was soft beneath her feet, and the walls were yellow, matching perfectly with her comforter. Her dresser and bedside table were both white. Her classic violin was in its case, leaning against the wall.

Kit pulled back the covers and stripped off her clothes. For pajamas, she usually wore a pair of black stretch knit shorts and a gray tank top, her short hair piled into a hair claw if it got too irritating.

Yawning, Kit turned off the light and hoped into bed. It had definitely been an interesting couple days at Forks High. She hadn't expected to meet so many nice people. At her old school, everyone had their own clique or kept to themselves. Forks High was a huge change. Forks, itself was a huge change.

But so far, it was a good one.


	3. Caught Up In An Overflow

Forks was absolutely beautiful. Kit had never seen so much nature all in one place and it was all alive and green. Everything was green: the trees, their moss-covered trunks, their branches hanging with a canopy of green leaves, the ground covered with ferns. She loved it.

There were times when it was hard. Forks was a town where everyone knew everything about everyone. They had all grown up together, gone to school together, graduated together. Forks was a small town and as Kit had been told numerous times before: they didn't get many newcomers.

But that didn't mean the people of Forks weren't kind and Kit always tried to find the positive in every situation. As Kit continued to go to school and adjust, she made a few friends. Some of the guys at the high school were a little _too_ friendly, but Kit was polite nonetheless.

She was sitting at the table with one of her new friends, Angela Weber. Angela was shy and had the warmest brown eyes that were friendly and inviting. She was kind enough to help Kit with some of her homework while they ate lunch.

"And then you just carry the one..." Angela pointed to Kit's paper, "And the answer is forty-five!"

"Forty-five," Kit drawled out, writing the answer down. She beamed, "Wow, thanks Angela! You make it look so easy."

Angela blushed and shrugged, turning back to her lunch tray, "Well, I took the same class my Sophomore year."

Ben Cheney, a boy who stood 5'7", had black hair, golden brown skin, and dark brown eyes grinned. He was of Asian descent and as he pushed up his glasses while looking at Kit announced, "And she got an 'A'!"

"Ben," Angela scolded, her blush only increasing.

"Perhaps you should try integrated math," Jessica suggested, from her place beside Lauren, "You know...if you're a bit slower."

Kit flicked her eyebrows up, but didn't respond verbally. She had no response to that. At least not a very nice one. It would have been sarcastic and probably would have made Jessica even more irate.

Kit didn't understand the sudden change in Jessica's attitude and she quickly glanced up to see Katie avoiding any eye contact. The red-head had been oddly quiet and snappy in History, only giving brief nods and shakes of her head instead of the long paragraphs and energetic responses she usually gave. It was strange.

"Hey, Kit," Bella smiled and nudged her, obviously trying to diffuse some of the tension that had set, "I read that book you let me borrow."

Kit gasped excitedly, her homework immediately forgotten, "You did!?"

Bella nodded and pulled out a worn copy of _A Girl of the Limberlost_ , handing it back to Kit, "I liked it."

Kit's face fell and she arched an eyebrow, "And…?"

"I cried at a few parts," Bella admitted. She grinned, "But I like my book better."

Kit laughed, "No, Bella. Ugh, don't you understand how _wonderful_ this book is?"

"Yes," Bella promised, smiling, "But _Wuthering Heights_ will _always_ have a special place in my heart."

"Fair enough," Kit chuckled and returned the book to her satchel, "Excuse me, I'm going to use the restroom."

"I'd hurry," Bella cautioned, getting up to throw away her lunch, "The bell is going to ring."

"I'll be back before then," Kit promised, slinging her bag over her shoulder before she took her leave of the cafeteria.

The cool air hit her skin, causing goosebumps to break out, but Kit paid them no mind, the covered sidewalk that led to one of the bathrooms shielded her from the rain. She had leaned quickly that it rained constantly in Forks. And if it didn't rain, then it was overcast with a high chance of rain.

She didn't mind, of course. Kit loved the rain and its soothing sound. It was her own personal lullaby when she tried to fall asleep at night.

After she finished using the bathroom, Kit turned on the water and began to wash her hands, humming a soft song to herself. When she was finished, she grabbed a few rough paper towels from the dispenser and dried her hands.

A hand landed on her shoulder, nails digging into Kit's skin and she gasped loudly when she was whirled around, her head reeling with the force of it.

"Who. The. Hell. Do. You. Think. You. Are?"

Kit blinked and found herself looking up into the fishy green eyes of Lauren. Even though the cornsilk blonde was only a couple inches taller, her presence was still intimidating.

"Um," Kit blinked and looked around the bathroom. She hadn't even realized that she was being followed, "Pardon me?"

"Pardon me," Lauren mocked in her snotty voice. She sneered, "You heard me."

Kit frowned, "I-I'm sorry, Lauren, I don't quite under-

"Shut up," Lauren snapped, "Quit it with that posh and proper nonsense. No one's buying it and frankly it's annoying."

"O-Okay," Kit whispered. She was backed up against the sink and Lauren was definitely in her personal bubble. Kit couldn't move and the porcelain was digging into her back.

Lauren rolled her eyes and flipped her hair, "I dated Tyler and Mike in my Sophomore year and I plan to date Tyler again. Conner's been dropping hints about Prom, but I don't know. We'll see."

"I don't-

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Lauren snapped again, "Be quiet!"

Kit clamped her mouth shut. She prayed that Lauren couldn't see her shaking hands that were becoming slick with sweat. She had never been in this position before and she wasn't too fond of it.

"Did you run out of guys to hook up with down in Hampton?" Lauren demanded, "Is that why you moved? No one else to shack up with?"

Kit's mouth fell open in disbelief. She wholeheartedly agreed with her mother on the fact that she had been born in the wrong era and that she could be a little naive and unwordly, but that didn't mean she wasn't knowledgeable of _any_ type of slang.

Finally gathering her wits, Kit shook her head, "That's an awful thing to say, Lauren."

Lauren snorted, "Do you think I care? No, I don't. Now, I'm going to say this once: I don't want to see you talking to Tyler, Eric, Conner, or Mike. Do you understand me?"

Kit's eyes darted to the side, "N-no?"

Lauren's eyes widened and then narrowed, "Excuse me?"

"No," Kit repeated, slowly, "They've been really nice to me and I have no reason to stop talk-

" _I'm_ your reason," Lauren interrupted, "Understand?"

"No," Kit repeated, her answer honest, "I don't, actually."

Lauren's cheeks turned red, "Stop talking to the guys. Point blank. _Slut_."

Kit's mouth fell open again. Wider this time, but before she could respond, Lauren had smirked and left the bathroom, leaving Kit alone once more.

Kit stood there for a moment, unsure of how to react. Had that really just happened? She had only seen those kinds of things on TV. I mean, _obviously_ she knew those kinds of confrontations actually occurred in real life, but never in a million years did she think she would be involved in one, and the thought of someone calling her a slut had never crossed her mind. Even at her old school, she always tried to stay out of people's way, not wanting to upset anyone or do something wrong.

Blinking again, Kit turned to face to mirror and clutched the sink, taking a deep breath. She wasn't scared of Lauren, not at all. The whole incident had just caught her by surprise.

She took another deep breath and smoothed out her outfit, trying to appear less frazzled. She wore a long-sleeved soft pullover knit in a cozy peach color piped with pink, a self tie bow was over the shoulder. She wore a white mid-circle high-waisted swing skirt and a pair of peach retro pumps with a four inch cone heel. At the side of her hair, she wore a large white single dahlia pin-up hair flower.

After taking another moment to compose herself, Kit left the restroom, her eyes downcast as she gnawed on her lower lip, lost in thought. She didn't really want to go back to the cafeteria, but she had promised Bella that she wouldn't be gone long and it was clear the other brunette was awkward and uncomfortable with a few people at the table.

Kit was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't see when she almost ran into a large boy. She squeaked in surprise, but was saved when chilled hands wrapped around the tops of her arms.

"Whoa, there," he joked, easily steadying her when she tripped, "Are you all right?"

"Oh," Kit gasped and looked up, her eyes widening at the pools of bright liquid gold she met. They were _so_ pretty and full of emotion as he stared at her with equal amounts of awe.

The boy stood roughly 6'5", his form filled out, but not overweight, just muscular. He was very handsome with dimples and slightly curly, dark brown hair that almost looked black. His skin was pale.

"Emmett," Alice cleared her throat, a smile on her face.

"Oh," Kit gasped again and jerked out of Emmett's hold, startling. She recovered quickly, though and beamed, "Hi, Alice!"

"Hello, Kit," Alice greeted, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kit replied. She moved her eyes, noticing the group of siblings standing around Alice. They were all extremely beautiful and they shared the same skin pallor and gold eyes. She could easily recognize who was who from when Jessica had pointed them out on her first day of school.

"Hi," Kit greeted. She looked at Emmett first and held out a hand, "I'm Kit Algren."

"E-Emmett Cullen," he replied, placing his cold hand in hers, "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's mine," Kit smiled widely, moving her gaze, "Hello, Rosalie, Jasper, Edward. It's nice to finally meet you all."

Jasper was the first to show any reaction, arching a single eyebrow. Kit's emotions were completely positive. She was happy, that was for sure and that wasn't the norm when people looked at them. Even the hallway's emptied quickly when they walked through. The other humans were commonly wary and scared.

"Hello," Rosalie finally said, narrowing her eyes, "Now, if you'll excuse us."

"Rose," Alice scolded gently, "Don't be rude."

"That's okay," Kit promised, "I should have watched where I was going. My fault, reall-

"Kit, I— _ah_!" Bella had both of their textbooks in her arms, along with Kit's homework. She had tripped, sending everything in her arms all over the ground.

"Oh no," Kit covered her mouth with her hand, choking on a laugh. She jumped when Edward suddenly tore down the covered area, heading for another building with his fists clenched. She frowned in worry.

"Don't get worked up over him," Emmett smirked playfully, "He'll be fine."

Kit nodded and after a moment, she returned her attention back to the group of siblings and smiled weakly, "I hope he's all right. Ah, I should go help Bella and make sure that she's okay. It was nice speaking with you all, and thanks for catching me, Emmett," she touched his arm briefly, before going to Bella's aid.

"Hey," Kit greeted, kneeling on the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Emmett glance at her before he and his siblings continued on their way, "Are you okay, Bella?"

"Fine," Bella's face was flushed as she tried to gather the books, "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Kit asked uneasily, "You didn't scrape your hands or anything?"

"No," Bella climbed to her feet and stumbled a bit, moving to the side as other students left the cafeteria.

Kit stood up, brushing off her skirt with one hand, her books held to her chest with the other, "Okay. I'm sorry I took so long. Thank you for getting my stuff. I appreciate it."

"Yeah," Bella said, clearly distracted, "No problem. Um, what were you doing talking to the Cullen's?"

Kit was surprised by the question, but she answered, "I met Alice my first day of school and she's found me in the library a few times. I literally _just_ bumped into Emmett and met the rest of Alice's siblings. Why?"

A hot flush spread across Bella's cheeks, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Ah, j-just curious. Um, I-I was starting to worry when you didn't come back. So, I grabbed your stuff, but..." she trailed off with a grimace.

"Yes, I got...held up in the restroom," Kit murmured. She shifted her weight, "I'll see you in gym?"

"Mhm," Bella smiled, her flush gone, "Bye."

Kit waved and went the opposite way of Bella. As she made her way to the right building, she passed Lauren and Jessica who glared openly at her. She quickly looked away, though, focusing more on the cracks in the old concrete.

The rest of the day passed by without incident. In English, they had a pop quiz on The Great Gatsby which Kit had finished after dinner the night before. A girl who sat next to her appeared to be struggling, and after the test was over, Kit had given her some of the notes she had taken previously.

In gym, they played badminton and Jessica continued to try to hit the birdy at Kit's head and send her evil smirks and death glares. It didn't help that Mike asked to be on a team with her and kept smiling widely. Kit smiled back, but she was sure they looked uneasy and forced.

"Whore," Jessica coughed as Kit walked past her to put her racket back.

Kit pursed her lips and forced herself to keep her gaze forward. She had been called names before: weird, odd, loner, loser, and freak. But never something so vulgar. And it wasn't true. Kit had never even _kissed_ a guy or held hands, let alone slept with one. As cliché and old-fashion as it sounded, she was saving herself for marriage.

She followed the other girls into the locker room, heading straight for the old locker than had seen better days. She thought it was weird that there were gym lockers at the school, but not regular lockers, but while she changed, she could hear Lauren talking about her.

"Bella was one thing," Lauren grumbled to Jessica, changing out of her gym clothes, "But a little baby _Sophomore_!? No way! She's not even pretty."

"That haircut," another girl that Kit didn't recognize snorted, "And those clothes? Um, it's not the 1800's anymore."

' _Stick and stones_ , _sticks and stones_ ,' Kit chanted inside her head, placing her folded gym clothes into the old gym locker. Kit waited for Lauren and her friends to leave the locker room before she went out, heading straight for the parking lot. She had agreed to let her father drive and pick her up for the first week, but now she was driving herself.

She had parked right next to Bella and the pale girl was climbing into her own car just as Kit pulled out the keys to the vehicle she and her mother shared.

"Bye, Bella," Kit called, opening her door, "See you, tomorrow."

"Yeah," Bella smiled and then paused, "Hey, do you want to hang out after school, tomorrow?"

Kit eyes widened in surprise and she pointed at herself, "You want to hang out with me?"

Bella chuckled, "Yeah? But if you don't want to..."

"Oh no," Kit winced, immediately feeling bad, "No, I do. That sounds fun."

Bella closed the door to her truck, leaning over so that she could see Kit out the passenger side, "Okay. And bring your homework."

"I will," Kit promised, climbing into her own car, "Bye."

The loud sound of Bella's engine, drowned out her own farewell and Kit could see the flush that spread up Bella's neck to settle in her cheeks.

As Kit drove home, she allowed her own thoughts to wander back. Not to the confrontation in the bathroom, not to Jessica calling her a name, not to the test in English, but to the golden-eyed boy that she had almost run into in the hallway.

Emmett Cullen was how he had introduced himself. His skin was hard and cold and her own hand had been swallowed up by his larger one. He seemed nice, though. The wide smile on his face showed off his dimples and sparkling white teeth, that looked a bit sharp, but it didn't take away from his childlike appearance.

His eyes were what really caught her attention. She had never seen eyes so bright. They were beautiful and his most prominent feature, in her opinion. They sparkled even under the florescent lights and were a brilliant shade of gold—like fresh butterscotch.

They were captivating and Kit was sure that if Alice hadn't spoken, she would have stood there for hours, perfectly content just to look into his eyes as he had stared into hers.

She could feel herself blushing and heat spread up her neck, causing Kit bite her lip self-consciously. She didn't understand where this feeling of—she couldn't even describe it—was coming from.

* * *

The first time Kit received a text message, she was at Bella's house after school, working on a Biology assignment.

"Oxyreductases, transferases, hydrolases, lyases, isomerases and ligases are all classes of…?" Kit trailed off, tapping her pen against her mouth, "Enzymes."

"Right," Bella said, once Kit wrote the answer down, "And you've never taken Biology before?"

Kit shook her head, "Not really. More like general science. What about you?"

"I took an advanced class in Phoenix," Bella told her, looking over her own textbook.

"Really?" Kit asked, "So, then is the class you have now easy for you?"

"Easy," Bella repeated in a low tone, "I-it's interesting."

Kit looked up from her paper and then at Bella, seeing that the girl was blushing once more. Turning back to her paper, Kit worked on another question, "Oh?" she asked. It expressed an interest in what Bella was saying, but it wasn't too pushy if she didn't want to continue.

"I..." Bella paused and sighed, "I don't think my Biology partner likes me. He...did something for me—a nice something— _huge_. And...I-I think he regrets it."

Kit frowned at the sadness that she could hear lacing Bella's voice, "Why would you think that? If you don't mind me asking..."

"He just ignores me now," Bella said, tapping her pencil against the table, "He won't talk to me at all. I said hello and he barely moved his head. I think he regrets saving my life."

Bella sucked in a sharp breath, clapping her hands over her mouth. No, she was _such_ an idiot! She wore her heart on her sleeve and it showed even at inappropriate times. She cursed herself internally and closed her eyes, hoping that Kit hadn't heard or suspected who she was talking about.

Seeing Bella's reaction, Kit focused intently on her paper, trying to pretend that she had no idea who Bella was talking about, "To regret saving someone's life? That's very...that's heavy. Perhaps there's a deeper meaning behind it. Maybe he has something else going on?"

Bella shrugged, moving her curtain of hair out of her face, "Maybe..."

"Hey, could you help me with this one?" Kit asked, pointing the end of her pen to question ten, "I'm stuck."

Bella breathed a sigh of obvious relief at the subject change and leaned in, "Sure. Oh, okay. You just-

She was cut off by the sound of a chime coming from the pocket of Kit's cardigan.

"I'm sorry," Kit murmured, pulling out her cellphone, "Let me l-look..."

She had trailed off due to shock. She couldn't believe what she was reading on the tiny screen. The word 'slut' was written so many times that Kit lost count. Following the repetition were the words, 'J _ust trying 2 perfect my spelling_. _What do u think_?'

Kit's heart stuttered in shock and her eyes widened slightly. The number who had text messaged her was one she didn't recognize as the only numbers in her cellphone was the land line to her house, Katie, Bella, and her parents.

She read the message over and over as if she would be able to uncover some secret code. No matter how many times her eyes scanned the message, she couldn't understand it. She couldn't understand why someone would send something like that.

"You okay, Kit?" Bella asked, after an intense few minutes of silence, "Did something bad happen?"

"No," Kit answered, a little too loudly. She cleared her throat, "No," she whispered. She returned the phone to her pocket "Just got distracted for a minute. So, question four?"

"Ten," Bella corrected.

Kit shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, "Right, my mistake. Number ten."

Bella nodded, beginning to slowly explain. She had seen the look on Kit's face when the girl had read the text message, but Bella knew better than to pry. Kit was her friend, but they didn't know everything about each other. She was sure Kit had her own secrets.

After all, Bella definitely had hers.

* * *

The second time Kit received a text message, it was on Saturday and she was preparing for the traditional weekend tea party with her little sister.

"Just pour the water in, like this," Kit tipped the stove kettle, pouring steaming water into the porcelain pink butterfly teapot, "Ta-da! Now, you can add the teabags and I'll steep them with the spoon."

Indigo was rather short for her age and she stood on her blue step stool, pulling the box of French vanilla tea closer to her, "How many?"

"Mmm," Kit narrowed her eyes in concentration, "Let's do four."

"K," Indigo added the loose teabags, a grin on her face, "And it will change color? Will it be white? Like ice cream?"

"Probably yellow," Kit answered, pressing down on the bags.

Indigo made a face, "That's gross!"

Kit chuckled and shook her head, "They're leaves, Indi and herbs and spices. It tastes a lot better than it looks."

"Are you sure?" Indigo asked.

"Positive," Kit said, just as her phone chimed, signaling that she had a text message. She abandoned the spoon in favor of digging her phone from her pocket.

"Who is it? Who is it?" Indigo asked.

' _U think u actually look good with that hair_? _Looks like it was cut by a weed whacker_. _Ugly_ & _disgusting_. _Shave it all off and put a bag over your head_. _Bitch_.'

Kit grimaced, her hand automatically going to run through the short wavy locks. She thought her hair was fine. She had cut it years ago and kept the same hairstyle ever since. She liked it, her mother and father liked it...

"Kitty?" Indigo asked, seeing the look on her sister's face, "What's wrong? Hey!"

A tug on her shirt caused Kit to look up from her phone, "Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Indigo asked worriedly. She frowned, "You look sad."

Kit looked at the message again before she placed her phone back into her pocket. She shook her head, "No, Indi, I'm fine. Are the cookies on the table?"

"No," Indigo snapped her fingers, "No, I forgot. Hold on, I'll get them."

"I'll put the tea on the table," Kit called after her. She sighed, lifting the teapot with both hands so that she wouldn't spill it.

Four matching teacups were on the table and she looked up at the ceiling when the teapot was settled, "Mom, daddy, tea is ready!"

Her father came into the kitchen first, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. He pushed his glasses back up his face, "Remind me to call in another order for my contacts. I tore one of them."

Kit giggled, "Put another order in for your contacts."

"Ahahaha," Blake rolled his eyes, "I raised such a comedian."

Kit snickered, "I know."

Smiling, Blake brought his hand up to rest atop Kit's head, moving his hand down the side of her hair.

He scrutinized her appearance, "You okay, Kit Kat?" he asked softly.

Kit forced another laugh, "Do I look that awful?"

"No," Blake shook his head, "You look casual. I think that's the problem. I'm not used to sweatpants and t-shirts."

"It's a lazy day," Kit declared, throwing her arms up. She huffed and looked up at the ceiling again, "Mom!" she shouted.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Everly grinned as she went to her husband's side, "Hold your horses."

"We should get a horse," Indigo mumbled, a package of soft chocolate chip cookies in her hands. She looked up at her mother, "Hi, mommy."

Everly smiled, "Hi, baby. Ready for tea time?"

"Mhm," Indigo grinned, her eyes bright, "Yes, please!"

"Great," Blake clapped his hands together, "Pinkies up?"

Kit chuckled as she took a seat. Laughing even louder when Indigo began to giggle. Her little sister's laugh was contagious and soon, the text message was forgotten.

* * *

Lauren flipped the phone closed and smirked, "Thank you, Katie. You're _such_ a gem."

Katie shifted her weight from foot to foot as Jessica, Ashley Dowling who was another Sophomore with black hair began to laugh, "I-I don't know about this, Lauren..."

Lauren stopped laughing and she narrowed her eyes, "Excuse me?"

Katie shifted her weight again, exhaling softly. She looked around Lauren's large living room, before her gaze came back to rest on her black vans, "I just—well, what if we get in trouble?"

"We're not going to get in trouble," Jessica snapped, "Unless, you're planning on telling someone?"

"Katie," Ashley groaned, rolling her brown eyes, "Are you _serious_?"

"I'm not going to say anything!" Katie exclaimed, her eyes wide, "I just-

"I just," Lauren mocked, " _What_!? Spit it out."

"What's the point?" Katie blurted. She gestured to the silver phone, "Of the texting and stuff?"

Lauren sighed heavily, bringing her free hand up to massage her temple, "Listen," she spoke gently, "You're not popular, like I am. Everyone _knows_ me, everyone _likes_ me, and it's _me_ who people want to be like. Do you understand how _embarrassing_ it is to have a weirdo Sophomore just stroll in and try to take it all away from you?"

Katie flinched at the term 'weirdo Sophomore' and she shook her head, "No..."

"Does Kit know about your crush on Eric Yorkie?" Ashley asked suddenly.

Katie gasped whipping her head around, "Ashley!"

Lauren snorted in disbelief," _You_ like Eric Yorkie?"

Katie was now the color of her hair and she lowered her head, shrugging, "...He's nice," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Whatever," Lauren rolled her eyes, "The point is, I've worked hard for my reputation. My whole life, really. I plan to win Homecoming Princess, Homecoming Queen during my Senior year, and Prom Queen my Senior year as well. And what do you need to do that? Popularity."

Jessica jumped in, "And did you know, I heard Eric talking about Kit the other day? He heard the jocks were asking her out and was talking about it. Did you know that? Hm?"

"Kit doesn't like him," Katie said matter-of-factly, "She wouldn't do that."

"She did it to us," Jessica gestured to herself and Lauren.

"She's nice," Katie said meekly, "Really, she's-

"Then you can go sit with _her_ in the library by yourselves," Lauren suggested, "Is that what you want to do?"

Katie scowled, "N-no..."

"Okay, then," Lauren nodded in satisfaction, "That's what I thought."

"It's not going to be bad, right?" Ashley now looked worried, "Like, we're not going to hurt her or…?" she trailed off and scratched her arm in anxiety.

Lauren smirked and rolled her eyes, "No, we won't hurt her. We're just going to mess with her a bit. Okay, Katie?"

Katie gnawed on her lower lip, debating. She _liked_ Kit. The brunette was pleasant to be around and had actually encouraged Katie to ask Eric out. Had Kit just been making fun of her? Kit was still new to the school and she attracted attention with the outfits she wore, but she kept her head held high with confidence. Surely, she could take a few jokes?

And Lauren had promised they wouldn't take things too far. After all, they had their whole lives to think about. Katie, herself had plans to be a veterinarian, and it was clear that Lauren had plans for her future too. The blonde was always talking about scholarships that she had already been offered.

Ashley spoke up again, snapping Katie out of her thoughts. Ashley looked as anxious as Katie felt, "And no one's going to get in trouble? Because...I've never even had a _detention_ before. My mom would-

"No one will get in trouble, God," Jessica rolled her eyes in annoyance, "How many times does it have to be said: we're just going to mess with her. A few jokes and whatever. It's no big deal."

"We're just going to mess with her?" Katie repeated, looking pointedly at Lauren, "That's it?"

Lauren nodded curtly, "That's it," she confirmed, "Promise."

Katie sighed heavily, finally relenting, "Okay, then."


	4. My Mind Was Everywhere, I Wanna Know You

"Good morning."

The smooth, almost music-like voice was not what Kit had been expecting to greet her when she got out of her car. She hadn't even heard the person approach, but when she looked up and saw who it was, she smiled widely, her eyes bright.

"Good morning, Emmett," she greeted, "Where did you come from?"

"I go here," Emmett deflected with a smirk. In reality, he had used his vampire speed as there weren't many people in the parking lot, but if there had been, he was positive that he would have been able to get away with it.

The right side of Kit's mouth quirked up, "I see," she said shortly, "Did you enjoy your weekend?"

"Spent it with my brothers," Emmett shrugged, "Like usual. What about you?"

Kit smiled and shrugged, "Spent it with my sister and my parents. Like usual."

Emmett snorted and rolled his eyes when Kit giggled, "Cute."

Kit held out her hands, catching a raindrop, "It's starting to rain."

"It's Forks," Emmett said obviously.

"I don't mind the rain," Kit said, not wanting to sound like she was complaining, "I like it."

Emmett shrugged. The rain didn't feel like much on his granite-like skin, "It's all right."

Kit moved her gaze from the cloudy sky to look at Emmett, "Have you always lived here?"

"No," Emmett shook his head, "Moved here from Alaska a few years ago."

"Alaska? Really?" Kit breathed, "Wow, wasn't it cold?"

"It snowed a lot," Emmett supplied.

Kit leaned against the back of her car, "That must have been nice, if you like the snow. Does it ever snow here?"

"Ahh, you just missed it," Emmett smiled apologetically, "It snowed in January."

"Dang it," Kit sighed, "Oh, well. Maybe it will...um..." she trailed off, biting her lip. From across the parking lot, she could see Lauren pull into a spot and Jessica arrive right behind her.

Kit shifted uncomfortably. The name-calling at school hadn't stopped like she had hoped. She had thought of telling her parents, but she didn't want them to worry in case things got better. Besides, they were just words. They weren't supposed to hurt and she didn't want to overreact.

"Okay?" Emmett asked, placing a hand on her shoulder before he could stop himself.

"Fine," Kit replied immediately. She looked up into his gold eyes again and forced a smile, "I'm fine. Just being a space cadet."

Emmett knew she was lying. He could hear her heart rate pick up in anxiety, but he knew better than to call her out on it. He removed his hand from her shoulder, deciding to move on, "What's your first class?"

"History," Kit told him.

"Why don't I walk you?" Emmett offered. He glanced briefly at Edward's Volvo, in time to see the looks on his siblings faces. Alice looked relieved, Jasper looked surprised, Edward irritated, and Rosalie's kept her face controlled. He'd have to talk to her later. Make sure that everything was good between them.

"You don't have to do that," Kit reassured, "Don't you need to be with your brothers and sisters?"

Emmett waved her off, "They'll survive. C'mon, I don't mind," he grinned, "What, are you scared of me?"

Kit looked appalled, "No, of course not!"

"Why not?" Emmett demanded, his face falling.

An incredulous look came upon Kit's face and then she chuckled, "You're not scary. A little intimidating, but not scary."

Emmett grunted, pulling down Kit's hat, "How disappointing. C'mon."

"Hey!" Kit exclaimed, her hands going to fix it.

She wore a denim blue colored A-line dress with a scoop neckline, princess seams, pleats, and a tan bow-adorned belt. She didn't wear any leggings despite the chill in the air and her shoes consisted of a pair of two inch tan lace up faux suede heels. The Chapeau hat that Emmett pulled down was dark tan with a black bow-tied band and in her ears, she wore a pair of antiqued gold ornate filigree earrings with clear rhinestones in the middle. As always, around her neck, was her grandmother's locket.

She hurried to keep up with Emmett, falling in-step beside him when she caught up.

"You have really pretty eyes," she told him without hesitation.

Emmett smirked. A girl who spoke her mind. Another thing he could work with, "Thank you," he told her, "You do too."

"Thanks!" she beamed at him, pulling on her fingers. Those three words meant a lot. She had always hated her too-green eyes.

She didn't know what else to say after that, and she couldn't believe that Emmett was walking her to class. They had only experienced one verbal interaction and it had been very brief, but the current silence was okay too. Comfortable.

Emmett slowed down his steps so that he could walk beside Kit, "Is history your favorite subject?"

"My second favorite," Kit corrected.

"Right," Emmett said, cursing himself, "Art is your favorite."

Kit frowned for a moment and she looked up at Emmett, her eyes confused, "I didn't tell you that."

 _Crap_.

"I overheard Alice talking to my mom, Esme," Emmett explained smoothly, "Something about your parents being artists."

Kit relaxed and she nodded, "Oh, okay. Yes, that's right. I was telling her about my parents and she mentioned her mother dabbling in photography. Oops, I'm rambling. Um, I'm sorry. Yes, you're right. Art is my favorite."

"I don't mind your rambles," Emmett promised with an amused grin when Kit blushed, "It's very entertaining," he stopped by the side of the classroom door, "Here we are."

"Thank you for walking me," Kit smiled, her eyes on his as she tried to ignore the stares they got, "It was nice chatting with you."

"Likewise, Kit," Emmett said casually, "Don't be a stranger."

A cold hand reached out to touch her cheek, a thumb swiping over her cheekbone. Kit froze, but just as quick as the touch came, it was gone and Kit watched as Emmett's gaze became more intense, a crease developed in his smooth forehead.

"Hmm," he hummed softly to himself. His eyes trailed over Kit's form, "Okay."

"Okay, what?" Kit breathed.

Emmett hesitated, his head cocked to the side, "...I needed to check something."

Kit should have said something. Maybe something cute and flirty, but she had no idea how to flirt. So, she settled for standing there like an idiot, trying to think of a response as the seconds ticked by and more students walked past her to enter the classroom.

Eventually, Emmett sniggered, the corners of his eyes crinkling, "Cool," he said, walking away.

Kit stood there for a few more seconds before she opened the door to the classroom, going to take her seat. She was early, but that was okay. It would give her a chance to catch up on some more work.

"Good morning, Ms. Algren," Mr Jefferson called from his desk, "How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine," Kit replied automatically. It seemed like 'fine' was her new catchphrase, "How are you?"

"Fantastic," Mr. Jefferson said with little enthusiasm, "I'm glad you're here. I was planning to speak to you about your grade after class, but we can do it now."

"My grade?" Kit asked worriedly, "Is it bad?"

Mr. Jefferson smiled when Kit approached his desk. He spoke in a low tone, as to not be overheard by the other students in the classroom, "No, of course not. In fact, you have an 'A'. The highest in the class. Your love for history really shows. I wanted to tell you, that you don't need to rush to get all those assignments done. It's rare, as you probably know, but when students transfer in the middle of the year, past assignments go in as 'Satisfactory'. It's strange to hear a teacher say this, but you don't _need_ to do the assignments. I just thought you'd like to look them over for review."

"I didn't know that," Kit frowned, speaking in the same low tone, "Wait, then what happens when I turn them in? I won't be graded?"

"You will," Mr. Jefferson said slowly, "But if you don't do them, your current grade will not be affected. Am I making sense?"

"Yes, Sir," Kit nodded, "Thank you, that actually helps a lot."

"Glad I can be of _some_ help," Mr. Jefferson murmured, focusing his attention back to the paper he was grading.

Kit returned to her individual desk and sat down, pulling out the purple notebook labeled 'History'. She flipped it open to a blank page and grabbed a pen. While she was skimming through her history textbook, her phone rang and she gasped loudly. The loud chime had scared her.

"Phone's off or at _least_ on vibrate, Ms. Algren," Mr. Jefferson said, his voice tired and irritated, "You should know the rules, by now. Though, school has yet to start."

Kit removed the phone from her satchel, "Sorry, Mr. Jefferson, I forgot. I'll do that now."

She pressed the volume button until the small device vibrated in her hands and doing so, caused the screen to light up. A notification said she had an unread text message. She had to click through a few buttons in order to read it, and when she opened the text—well, she wished she hadn't.

' _Shacking up with_ _the Cullens_ , _now_? _How sleazy can U_ _get_ , _s_ _lut_? _XOXO_!'

Kit frowned. It was still a number she didn't recognize, but it was obviously from someone who had been watching her interact with Emmett.

The frown remained on her face until the final bell rang and slowly, other students trickled in, hanging their coats on a hook and talking amongst themselves.

When Katie took her usual seat, Kit turned her head, "K-Katie? Katie? Katie, please."

"What do you want?" Katie asked, rolling her eyes. She clutched her pencil so hard, she was surprised it didn't break, "We're not supposed to be talking during class."

Kit drew her eyebrows together, "I need to ask you something."

Katie scoffed, "Then ask."

"Did you..." Kit took a deep breath, "You didn't give anyone my number, did you?"

Katie's eyes widened a fraction and she ran her tongue over her bottom lip before she bit it, "What?"

"My number?" Kit repeated. She was starting to get anxious, "I-I mean—well-

"Spit it out!" Katie snapped.

"I've been getting these text messages," Kit blurted, "And I just—I wanted to know if you-

Katie interrupted, "You think _I'm_ sending them? Are you freakin' _crazy_!? I can't believe you-

"I didn't say that!" Kit hissed, trying to keep her voice down, "Gosh, what's with you, lately? Did I do something to make you mad at me?"

"Whatever," Katie straightened up at her desk, "Look, I like you, Kit. We just—we shouldn't be friends. Stop talking to me."

Her voice shook at the end and Katie focused a little to intensely when Mr. Jefferson called for attention. She felt awful for being so mean to Kit, but she had no desire to be made fun of for hanging out with someone who dressed like their grandmother. Well, she actually didn't _mind_ the way Kit dressed, but her other friends did and majority rules.

Right?

* * *

"You're going to sit with me at lunch, today."

Kit had been on her way to the library when a cold hand wrapped around her wrist. She knew who it was before she even turned around.

She grinned up at Emmett, who looked amused as well, "Am I?"

"You are," he gave a curt nod, but a goofy smile was still on his face, his tone implying that he wouldn't be offended if she declined.

"But my homework," she protested weakly.

"You can do it later," Emmett tugged on her wrist, freezing when he realized what he had done. He stood still and closed his eyes, waiting for Kit to scream in shock and pain or burst into tears at the feeling of shattered bones. Maybe she'd go into shock, first.

"What's wrong?" Kit asked, "Are you okay?"

Emmett's eyes flew open and he looked at Kit, his shock still evident, "I— _you're_ okay?"

"Yes," she looked at him oddly and then gave a polite smile, "But can you let go of me, please? You're cold."

"Sorry," he raised his hands, "Was outside running laps in gym."

"Aw, we're running laps?" Kit groaned.

Emmett was still too appalled to respond. He really hadn't hurt her? He couldn't believe it. Yes, he was comforted by the fact, but perhaps blending in with the humans had caused him to unconsciously know how to control his strength. Whatever it was, he was grateful for it.

He had decided the day before to suck up his destiny and do what Alice told him to do. One, because he was having a lot of fun irritating his brother. Two, because he didn't want to make things harder on Alice who was already struggling with Edward's future. And three, because he annoyingly found himself drawn to Kit as cliché as it sounded. Alice had informed him that Kit would take the vampire-thing strangely well. He had no plans as of yet to tell her, so he figured that he might as well try to have fun with it and he liked seeing his sister happy.

"I guess my homework can wait," Kit said, her eyes narrowing as she thought, "Yes, I think it will be fine. Are you sure you want to eat lunch with me?"

"Why do you do that?" Emmett asked. He jerked his head, a gesture for Kit to walk with him.

"Do what?" Kit asked.

"Doubt," Emmett answered, "Like when I asked to walk you to class, you said I didn't have to. I know I didn't _have_ too, but I wanted to. You're _not_ an obligation."

Kit flinched at his tone, "I-I'm sorry."

Emmett's shoulders relaxed. Way to go, he had scared her and let his instincts take over again, "Don't apologize."

"Okay," Kit was beaming once more.

Emmett chuckled at how fast Kit's attitude changed. Edward had been right, she really was like a mini Alice, "How's your day been?"

Kit scrunched up her nose, thinking back to the text message and Katie ending their friendship. It had made her sad and she didn't know what to do. The way Katie had reacted, made a part of Kit think that Katie was sending the text messages or at least knew who was doing it. But Kit knew better than to make assumptions.

"It's been fine," she finally said, "Nothing too exciting. You?"

But Emmett didn't answer. Something about her tone threw Emmett off, but once again, he wasn't going to pry.

"Boring," he answered, seeing as though she was still waiting for him to do so.

They fell into another comfortable silence and he was surprised at how well Kit ignored the obvious stares that people were giving them. She kept her head up high and her eyes forward, but she occasionally would allow her gaze to flicker over to him just as he did with her.

He knew they looked strange walking side-by-side. He was extremely muscular and towered over her by a foot and an inch. Though, she was a bit taller with heels on, it didn't make much difference.

He led her to the cafeteria line and that's when he broke the silence, his eyes returning to her face, "Do you want anything?"

She shook her head politely, "No thank you. I pack my lunch."

Emmett filled up a tray, glancing at Kit, "You're always one step ahead, hm?"

"Something like that," Kit teased, waiting patiently.

When Emmett had finished putting together his tray, he led her over to a table at the far end of the cafeteria, pulling out a chair for her. They had walked past the table where Kit usually sat, and Kit had lowered her head when she saw the glares. But Bella and Angela had smiled at her encouragingly.

"Thank you," Kit managed a smile and took a seat, blushing when he pushed in her chair.

"You're welcome," Emmett took his own seat and began to pick at his food.

Kit pulled out a bento lunchbox and a water bottle. For lunch, she had a small serving of a simple caprese pasta salad, sliced strawberries, and half a veggie wrap.

When she looked up, she saw that Emmett was watching her and she smiled almost self-consciously, "I'm a vegetarian."

Emmett grinned and he laughed softly as if he had his own joke, "Are you?"

"I try to make it a point in my life to downgrade the number of deaths I cause," Kit said, taking a bite of her pasta.

Emmett stared at her, his eyes impossibly wide. Like he had done this morning, he glimpsed back to look at his siblings and could see the awe on their faces too. Jasper actually looked smug and approving. It was definitely something that Emmett would tell Carlisle about, knowing his adoptive father would find Kit's comment 'intriguing'.

It was another minute until he reacted, his booming laugh causing a few people to look over or jump.

Kit had jumped, but she laughed as well, finding Emmett's laughter to be contagious. She was one of those people that laughed at everything and it didn't seem like Emmett was bothered by it. In fact, he seemed to be one of those people too.

Having calmed down, Emmett laughed once and then spoke, folding his arms atop the table, "Now you have to tell me. I'm curious. How many deaths _have_ you caused?"

"Mmm," Kit hummed thoughtfully, "I don't know. I've been a vegetarian since I was ten, so that's a good nine years, give or take. And if I ate meat twice a day—you know, lunch and dinner—wouldn't that be over a thousand if it was everyday for nine years? And that's not counting animal products like gelatin...and I guess it depends _how_ much I eat _and_ the portion size. Over two thousand, maybe?"

She was rambling, a habit that was a tell for when she was nervous. She was appalled when she had made that comment about minimizing deaths, but it was too late to take it back. It was a joke her father constantly went on about, but her family had a somewhat dark sense of humor and she couldn't believe she had actually _said_ something like that aloud. She was _such_ a dork. Emmett must have thought she was a total wackadoo.

A blush on her cheeks, she peeked up at Emmett and saw that he was still looking at her with the same entertainment. Wow, she hadn't scared him off?

"You like animals," Emmett said. It was a statement, not a question.

"I..." Kit blinked. _That's_ what he had gotten from all of that? Maybe he had tuned out her rambles. Talking extremely fast was another tell for when she was nervous and most people found her hard to understand, "Yes, I like animals."

"What's your favorite?" Emmett asked.

"Leopards," Kit answered, taking a sip of her water, "Snow leopards."

"Snow leopards?" Emmett asked, "Seriously?"

That was not what he had been expecting. He had assumed she would say something like chipmunks, bunnies, puppies, e.t.c. Cute animals that most of the girls at Forks High fawned over.

Kit pulled her fork out of her mouth, "Yes. What about you? Do you have a favorite animal?"

Emmett laughed again. That laugh that signaled there was something hidden beneath his answer, "Grizzly bears."

"Oh?" Kit asked, finishing off the last of her strawberries.

Emmett hesitated with his answer, trying to think of something that would actually sound human, "I'm very interested in their behavior."

That was true to an extent. By behavior, he had meant that he loved to irritate them once it was the end of hibernation. It was fun to rile them up and make them think they actually had a chance to get him. He was a firm believer in playing with his food and getting revenge for what a bear had done to him all those years ago. He had a bit of a grudge.

"That's interesting," Kit said sincerely, "What's your favorite color?"

Emmett snorted, "My favorite _color_?" he scoffed.

"Yes," Kit insisted with a smile, "Do you have one?"

It was a simple question, but Emmett didn't have much of a reply. If anyone else would have asked him, he would have said it was stupid and maybe flipped them off, but like he had stated before: he was trying to make things easier for Alice and that included playing along and answering Kit's questions.

"Green," he answered. He cringed as soon as he said it. He could hear Jasper and Edward guffawing from their table. Green, he had said. The color of Kit's eyes. It was annoying, the feelings that were coursing through him—how _human_ he felt when he was in Kit's presence. He wondered if Jasper was messing with him since he had beat Jasper at chess the day before. Yes, that had to be what was happening.

This hadn't been something he had planned to take seriously. It was all for Alice and for fun. That was supposed to be it.

"Green," Kit repeated, looking out the large glass cafeteria windows. She smiled, "Everything here is green."

"What's your favorite color?" Emmett asked, picking apart an apple. It was way too easy to make it look like he had actually eaten something.

"Yellow," Kit grinned, "It's a happy color."

Emmett arched an eyebrow, "That's why you like it?"

Kit nodded, replacing the lid to her bento box. She would eat the rest later, "Uh-huh. Yellow represents sunshine, happiness, and warmth."

"You sound like a greeting card," Emmett said.

Kit looked at him, shrugging her right shoulder, "I suppose I do. Think I should go into business, then?"

Emmett laughed, "Why not? You might have to quit school."

The bell rang and Kit returned her lunch and her water bottle to her school bag, "It's something I'll consider," she joked.

Emmett was in disbelief at how amazing Kit was. He hated to think about it, but that other human had been right. Kit was something else.

"Thank you for joining me," he said, standing from his chair.

"You're welcome!" Kit said, "It was fun. An interesting conversation, don't you think?"

"Yes," Emmett agreed charmingly, "We'll have to do it again sometime."

Kit bounced slightly on her toes, "Okay. Bye, Emmett."

He raised a hand, still smiling, "Bye, Kit."

Kit smiled at him once more before she turned on her heel and walked away, her heels clicking against the floor.

"Bella!" she called, seeing her up ahead. When Bella stopped, Kit hurried to reach her and grinned, "Hey."

"Hi," Bella greeted, resuming walking, "You look happy. How was lunch?"

"Lovely," Kit answered, "You?"

"Good," Bella smiled shyly, "Talked to Angela the whole time. Mike too."

"I see," Kit mused, "I wanted to thank you for the help with my biology homework. There's a test next Friday."

"It's no problem," Bella promised, "I bet you'll ace it."

"I sure hope so," Kit waved and continued on her way to English, "See you in gym!" she called.

While she was walking, someone forcefully bumped into her shoulder and she squeaked in surprise, stumbling forward, barely managing to catch herself.

"Watch where you're going," Lauren snapped, "Bitch."

A girl Kit recognized to be in one of her classes—Ashley—laughed at Lauren like it was the funniest thing in the world and Kit sighed, smoothing out her dress before she continued on her way.

She really didn't understand what she could have done wrong.

* * *

Emmett found Rosalie in her room. As per usual, the blonde was admiring herself in her large gilt-frame mirror, her perfectly manicured hand occasionally running through her equally perfect blonde hair.

"Knock, knock," Emmett mumbled, tapping lightly on the door frame.

Rosalie rolled her eyes playfully, "I don't know why you do that."

Emmett snickered and walked in, taking a seat on Rosalie's large bed. She didn't sleep, but she did whatever she could to feel human.

"Did you want something?" Rosalie asked, darting to sit next to him.

"Are you angry with me?" Emmett countered softly.

"What?" Rosalie gasped, horrified, "Why would you ask me that? I'm not angry!"

"You're not mad because I sat with Kit at lunch?" Emmett clarified, "I like to think that I know you better than that, Rosie."

Rosalie huffed at the childlike nickname. She was at her large closet in the blink of an eye and began to sort through her clothes, pushing hangers aside and sniffing fabrics.

"I would hate that girl if it wasn't for you," Rosalie growled, "Obviously, I can't hate anyone that brings you happiness. I don't like the idea of two humans being involved with us. It's risky. Too many additions to our coven."

"They may not become vampires," Emmett argued, "You never know what they'll decide. Really, Rosie, if Bella and Kit—for whatever reason, turn into one of us, it's probably not going to happen for a _long_ time and then we'll leave. You're worrying about things that don't need to be worried about."

"Excuse me for being concerned about the well-being of my family!" Rosalie snapped, glaring at him.

"And that's appreciated," Emmett soothed, "But it's not necessary, right now."

"It's _always_ necessary," Rosalie snarled, "Especially with how careless you're being."

"Where did that come from?" Emmett demanded, "Explain to me my carelessness."

"Dropping those stupid little hints with that mortal-

"Kit," Emmett corrected.

Rosalie ignored him, "Running over to her as fast as you did, talking about grizzly bears, and that stupid look on your face when she said she was a vegetari—it's _not_ funny Emmett!"

Emmett couldn't help but snicker again. Humor was a great way to diffuse tension, but that didn't mean he didn't know when to be serious, "You need to calm down," he said, pursing his lips. He nodded his head towards the door, "Should I get Jazz in here?"

Rosalie didn't answer, cursing when she snapped one of her hangers.

"I'm being careful," Emmett promised, "Just trying to have a little fun. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Whatever," Rosalie snapped.

Emmett sighed, as he ran a hand over his face, "And, I was trying to make things easier for Alice. Edward has his future all scrambled. I don't need to add to that."

"You're _so_ noble," Rosalie rolled her eyes for the millionth time.

"Will you give it a rest, please?" Emmett begged, "And tell me what's really bothering you?"

Rosalie allowed her shoulders to slump. Damn Emmett for knowing her so well, "Have you been lonely?"

"Lonely?" Emmett repeated, "What do you mean?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Rosalie requested, going to stand in front of him. She folded her arms across her chest, "Answer the question."

"I'm not lonely and I never have been," Emmett promised, "Sure, Jazz and Al look pretty damn happy. Carlisle and Esme too. Yeah, I want that, but I'm pretty content being single as well. I knew eventually I'd find my mate—or I guess Alice would have the vision. That's it. I don't have a preference, but I'm excited about this nonetheless. As long as I still have my family, I think I'm going to be okay. Are _you_ lonely?"

"No," Rosalie said after a moment, "Not as long as I have you and the others."

"And I don't plan on going anywhere," Emmett stood up and pulled Rosalie into his arms, kissing the top of her head, "Do you know how special you are to me? Angel."

Rosalie let out a trilling laugh and looked up at him, "It's been awhile since you've called me that."

"It has," Emmett agreed, releasing her from his arms, "Now, can I ask a favor?"

"Of course," Rosalie nodded.

"Be nice to Kit," Emmett said softly, "Please?"

Rosalie's lips became a thin line. She really couldn't stand the two humans who were bound to upturn all their lives. The small tolerance she had for Kit was only due to her being Emmett's mate. Being nice sounded like quite the stretch.

But she knew she would do it, for Emmett.


	5. I Still Reach Out And Call Your Name

Sparkling, pure music filled the room. It was bright and soothing as the bow went over the strings of Kit's violin.

Her playing was flawless, beautiful and Everly never got tired of listening to her daughter play. Even when Kit had been younger, Everly would drop what she was doing once she heard the familiar sound flow throughout the house.

When the song ended and Kit raised her head from the chin rest, Everly clapped softly, a smile on her youthful face.

"That was beautiful, darling," Everly praised from her spot on the couch, "Truly wonderful."

Kit exhaled in relief, returning her precious instrument to her case, "Was it? Thanks, mom. I worked really hard on it."

"It shows. I can't wait until your future first concert at Julliard," Everly teased, straightening up and smoothing out her apron that was spotted with paint and flour.

Kit's eyes widened and she frowned, relaxing her face a minute later, "Julliard..." she uttered, "An art school."

Everly had been on her way to the kitchen to check on the cookies, but seeing her daughter's response caused her to pause in her steps and she went to stand in front of her daughter, grabbing her hands, a wary smile on her face.

"Sweetheart, I was kidding." she clarified.

Kit blinked, feeling foolish for the way she reacted, "Oh. You were?"

"Yes," Everly chuckled, "Whether you go to Julliard, Harvard, or Penisula college is up to you and fine with me."

"Is it?" Kit asked disbelievingly. She squeezed her mother's hands, "Really?"

"Of course," Everly shook her daughter gently, "Kit Kat, you don't have to follow your father and I. While I'm sure Blake will go nuts if you decide to have an art career, he'll be fine with whatever you choose."

Kit relaxed in her mother's grip, feeling better. She had never brought it up before, but there had been a few instances when Kit had thought of following a career path that didn't involve art or music. She wasn't sure what exactly, but it was being considered nonetheless.

"I appreciate that, but just so you know, if I were to go to an art school, I'd apply for Julliard," Kit said, "Thanks, mom."

Everly kissed Kit's cheek and touched it with her fingertips, "You're welcome, Kit Kat. Now, I need to get those cookies out of the oven before they burn."

Kit watched her mother walk away and followed, reaching into the pocket of her jeans. She kept her hand there, wrapped around her phone. She was going to do it. Show her mother the text messages. What better person to tell than her mother? Her parent, best friend, confident. She could do it. All she needed to do was hand her mother the piece of plastic and say one word. "Look."

"Mom?" Kit said, wincing when her voice came out shaky.

Everly looked up from putting the cookies onto a plate and she placed the spatula down, giving Kit her full attention, "Yes?"

Kit opened her mouth as if to say something and then she closed it again. She wanted to tell, but she was worried how her mother would react. She loved her mom _so_ much and she didn't want to risk upsetting her, or causing her distress. What if Kit herself was overreacting? The text messaging had gotten worse and though she suspected who was behind it, she wasn't exactly sure. Which probably wouldn't be much help when Everly asked who it was. It was embarrassing, the things that Kit would have to explain—the questions that she would be asked regarding the text messages and her nonexistent sex life. What if it was found out that Kit told? Things would get worse. _So_ much worse.

No, she was sixteen, almost an adult. She could handle this. She could-

A pair or warmed hands on her face, caused Kit to momentarily forget about her inner turmoil and she closed her eyes at the feeling of Everly's thumbs running over her cheekbones.

"Sweetheart?" Everly tsked, "Honey, what's the matter? What are you thinking about?"

Kit opened her eyes, looking into the matching ones that were peering at her anxiously.

"Kit?" Everly called again.

Kit hated herself for what she was about to do and she removed her hand from her pocket, letting it clench into a fist at her side to steady its trembling.

"You sure daddy won't be mad?" she whispered through the lump in her throat, "If I don't have an art or music career?"

" _That's_ what you're worried about?" Everly dropped her hands, both relieved and shocked, "Sweetheart, _of course_ he won't be angry. Goodness, no. Melodramatic, sure, but you know your father. As long as you love what you do and you're happy. That's all that matters."

Kit played with the ends of her hair, "Okay."

Everly went back to laying out the cookies and when she spoke, her tone was disbelieving, "That's all that's bothering you? You looked pretty upset."

"That's all," Kit promised, rushing over to stand by her mother's side, "Really, that's all. Can I have a cookie?"

Everly nodded. She didn't approve of the subject change, but she pushed the plate in Kit's direction, "Help, yourself."

"Thanks," Kit bit into one and hummed when warm chocolate exploded on her tongue, "These are great!"

"My grandmother's recipe," Everly took a bite of her own cookie, "Though, I can never bake as well as her, I think I'm a close second."

Kit clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from spraying food everywhere as she laughed. She coughed a few times before she composed herself, "Okay, mom. Sure."

"I am!" Everly insisted through her own laughs.

"Mhm," Kit hummed sarcastically, taking another bite.

Everly watched Kit for a moment. Her motherly instincts were telling her that something wasn't right. Something was bothering her eldest and she couldn't let it go. She needed to make sure.

"You know you can talk to me, Kit," she said softly, "Don't you?"

"I know," Kit sighed, relenting a little bit, "These girls have been making fun of my clothes at school, that's all. I should be used to it, but—I don't know. I like my clothes!"

She finished her sentence off with a smile. It was a little fake and what she had told her mother was mostly true. It wasn't what had really been on her mind—far from the text messages, but it was something.

"It's a small town," Everly said, "They're not used to seeing such...uniqueness. Not a lot of people step out of the box and if you do, it's shocking. But that's okay. Normal is boring. Honey, as long as you like how you look, then that's all that matters. If wearing my clothes and your grandmother's clothes makes you feel pretty and makes you feel good, then keep doing it. Okay?"

Kit blinked a few times. She could feel herself getting emotional at her mom's words, "T-thanks, mom. That helps. I needed to hear that."

Everly opened up her arms, "Come here, honey," she hugged her daughter tightly, "Oh, I'm so proud of you."

Kit pulled back, bewildered, "For what?"

Everly touched Kit's nose, "Just for being you. That's all."

Kit smiled and decided to change the subject to a lighter one, "Did you need me to take some pictures for you?"

"No, that's what your dad is doing, now," Everly said, shaking her head, "Indi's with him. They should be back before dinnertime."

Kit finished her cookie and went to the sink to wash the chocolate off her hands, "What are we having?"

Everly listed on her fingers, "Macaroni and cheese, spinach salad, and roast beef—baked tofu bites for you."

"Mmm," Kit groaned, "I _love_ your baked tofu bites. Can it be dinnertime now?"

Everly laughed and patted Kit's shoulder, "We can get started, sure. Help?"

"Yes," Kit nodded, "What do you want me to do?"

Everly moved to place the cookies on the counter beside the sink, "Macaroni and cheese. I marinated the roast beef and tofu, yesterday and I'll pop those in the oven. We'll do the spinach salad, last."

Kit went to one of the cupboards, standing on her tiptoes to reach two boxes of penne pasta, "Are you starting the water?" she asked, turning to look over her shoulder.

"Yes," Everly was filling the pot, "It'd be nice if we could get this in the oven before Indi and Blake get home, hm?"

Kit giggled, nodding in agreement. Her father was handsy when it came to food. Always trying to sneak in bites and he would occasionally try to get Indigo to do his dirty work. The two of them together were quite entertaining.

"So, Kit Kat," Everly turned on the stove, "Any other boys have their eye on you? Anyone that you like?"

Suddenly, an unwelcome flush spread up Kit's neck and burned her cheeks. She cleared her throat, closing her eyes against the image of the golden-eyed boy that popped into her head.

"Kit..." Everly drawled out, an impossibly wide grin crawling across her young face. She clapped her hands together, "Oh, honey! You like a boy!"

Kit allowed her eyes to flutter open and she ran a hand through her hair, the blush fading from her cheeks, "I-I...guess? It's a possibility..."

"Name, name, name," Everly chanted, "Come on, we need to pass the time until the water starts to boil."

Kit sighed heavily and covered her face with her hands, "'Met 'Len."

Everly laughed and pulled Kit's hands from her face, "What?"

"Emmett Cullen," Kit whined. She let her head fall onto her mom's shoulder, "Okay? It's Emmett Cullen, mom."

Keeping one hand on her daughter's back, Everly used her free one to tap her chin in thought,"Cullen, Cullen...Oh! Like, Dr. Cullen? The Chief Surgeon at Forks General?"

"Mhm," Kit hummed against her mother's shoulder, "That exact one."

"Awww," Everly cooed, "I've think I've seen them around town. Only once, but from what I could see they're a very well put together family. Though, what the town says?" she scoffed and shook her head, "It's awful! I bet they're all sweethearts."

"They are," Kit moaned, "But I haven't met their parents. Alice and I are becoming good friends and Emmett's been inviting me to sit with him at lunch."

"Has he?" Everly lifted up Kit, "Really? How did that go?"

Kit slumped in her mother's arms, "I said something really stupid, the first time. Well, it wasn't stupid, I suppose. Morbid. It's daddy's fault."

Everly giggled, "What did you say? You've peaked my interest."

"I said that I was a vegetarian—and..."

"-to downgrade the deaths, blah, blah," Everly finished, shaking her head, "Oh, Blake," her perky mood promptly returned and she laughed, "He probably thought it was funny, though!"

"Well, he laughed," Kit mumbled, "And then we talked about other stuff. He's been walking me to my first period too."

Everly sighed and patted both of Kit's shoulders, her expression serious once more, "You like this boy. Hm, I can see it in your eyes. Did you feel it? The spark?"

Kit's forehead creased and she thought back, shifting her weight. Had she felt it? There had been that moment in the hallway when they had just stared at each other until Alice had called them to attention. Captivating didn't come close to how beautiful Emmett's eyes were and every time she thought of him her heart sped up.

Not only that, but Emmett was funny, sweet, he listened. He walked her to class and would join her in the library at lunch. They continued to play 'over twenty questions' and it was all very endearing.

"I-I—he's tall," Kit blurted out.

"What?" Everly frowned, "You're losing me."

"He's over six feet, I think," Kit informed, "Emmett. And he's super muscular. Like, really big, but he's nice and his laugh cracks me up every time."

"So…?" Everly pushed.

Kit took a breath, looking to be in some internal struggle. She had never had a crush on anyone before, "I'm not quite sure yet. I should probably mention that he's older. He's a senior. Eighteen."

Everly made a noise in the back of her throat, thinking, "Two year age difference. That...might be okay? No, I don't know. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Hmm. Let's not over think this. We'll see what happens."

Kit pulled out of her mothers arms and went to go open the boxes of pasta, pouring them into the boiling water, "What if he doesn't like me back?"

"You'll be able to tell," Everly promised, "But don't try too hard. Just be your lovely self and everything will be fine."

Kit scrunched up her nose as she stirred the penne, "I'm not even sure if I like him. I get this—I don't know...this weird feeling and I don't like it. It's uncomfortable."

"Butterflies in your stomach?" Everly guessed. She moved Kit over, preparing to make the cheese sauce, "Is that it?"

"Maybe..." Kit drawled out, "Something like that," she sniffed the air and was glad at the subject change that presented itself, "Oh, don't forget to check on the oven."

"Shoot!" Everly gasped, reaching for an oven mitt, "Thanks."

By the time dinner was ready, Indigo and Blake had noisily returned to the house, laughing loudly. The only problem was that they were both covered in mud and grass from head to toe.

Everly shrieked, clapping her hands around her mouth, "What is this!? Oh my—oh my floors!" she wailed, " _Blake_!"

Blake held up his hands, "In my defense, it literally rains 99% of the time here."

"Blake, it's everywhere!" Everly cried.

"Mommy, we played in the mud!" Indigo said, bouncing on her toes, "It was kind of gross, though."

"Yes, I'm sure it was," Everly whispered in horror, "Did you even get pictures?"

"Tons," Indigo promised, "They're pretty."

Everly seemed to relax at that and she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose while she tried to take deep breaths. She wasn't one who liked to yell and shout at her children or her husband, but occasionally, that took a lot of self-control.

"So, how did this happen?" Kit asked, unable to fight back an amused smile.

"Well, she fell down," Blake gestured to Indigo, "And I laughed...and it kind of fell apart from there."

"You are _such_ a child," Everly grumbled, a frown clear on her face. She pointed up the stairs, "Go upstairs and hose off. Both of you, _now_! Dinner's going to get cold."

Blake sighed, removing the camera from around his neck, "C'mon, Indi. Let's get cleaned up."

"What do we do with our clothes?" Indigo asked, looking at her muddy hands, "Kitty, will you scratch my nose?"

"Sure," Kit did as Indigo had asked, "That better?"

Indigo nodded, "Loads. Thank you."

"Put your clothes in these," Everly handed Blake two garbage bags, "Your shoes too."

Blake ran his hand through mud-caked hair, "Okay, dear. We'll be right back."

"You don't have time to shower," Everly called after them, "Just wash up as best you can. Indi, you'll need to take a bath tonight and I'll help wash your hair."

"Ugggh!" Indigo groaned.

Kit snickered and eyed her mom with sympathy, "That's going to be a pain."

Everly winced, checking on the food in the oven again, "I know. And her scalp is so sensitive. I'll have to use deep conditioner."

Kit left her mother's side in favor of lying out silverware and napkins, "We were running out, but there's more under the sink."

"Great," Everly said. She turned at the sound of something chiming, "Is that you?"

"Sorry," Kit said, placing the last of the silverware down, "My phone."

"That's been happening a lot lately," Everly mused, her tone disapproving, "Young lady, I hope you're not text messaging during school."

"No," Kit promised, "I barely respond to the texts that I do get."

Another chime and Everly's eyes widened, "Who's sending you a text this close to dinner time?"

"Bella, probably," Kit winced at her lie. Bella didn't even have a cell phone, "Maybe Angela. We've been doing homework at the lunch table."

"Bella's the girl you hung out with after school?" Everly clarified, "The Chief of Police's daughter?"

"Mhm," Kit nodded, opening the text messages. If she didn't, the pop-up would never go away. She would have to open them eventually.

' _Dirty whore_. _Heard_ _U_ _slept with the entire football team_. _The Cullens weren't enough_? _The whole school wasn't enough_?'

' _Everyone here hates U_! _Go crawl under a rock and die_. _U don't belong here_.'

Kit usually didn't let the messages get to her. Especially the ones regarding her sex life. They weren't true and were so far-fetched. She didn't even know the school had a football team, considering that it was so small.

The texts about her appearance didn't hurt much. She was used to those kinds of comments. The ones calling her 'disgusting' were a little hurtful.

It was the last one that got to her for some reason. It was intense. Telling someone to die? That was a new low. Kit couldn't even imagine saying something like that to another person. A human being.

"Are your friends okay, Kit Kat?" Everly asked, trying to see Kit's phone screen from her place at the oven.

Kit returned the phone to her pocket and took a deep breath before she turned to face her mother. She managed a small smile. She was always terrible at controlling her facial expressions and hoped her mother wouldn't see through it.

"Bella was reminding me about something in Spanish," she said quietly.

"Oh," Everly nodded, "Are you doing okay in that class?"

"Yes," Kit replied, "As far as a I know. Um, mom? Can I skip dinner, tonight?"

"What?" Everly turned around, "You want to skip dinner?"

"I don't feel well," Kit made a face, "I have a headache and my stomach's in knots," she placed a hand across it, "I'm nauseous too."

"Let me feel," Everly rushed over and laid her hands against Kit's forehead, "Hmm, you're not warm. Are you supposed to start your period soon?"

"Mhm," Kit pretended to wince, "I can take the tofu for lunch, tomorrow. I like it cold, too. Can I please go lie down?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Everly nodded, "I'll heat up an ice pack in the microwave. You know, those gel ones? A shower might help, too, okay?"

"Okay," Kit echoed with a weak smile, "Though, I think I'll just go to bed."

"Do you want to stay home from school, tomorrow?" Everly offered.

"Oh no," Kit shook her head frantically, "No, I have a chapter quiz in English."

Everly stroked Kit's hair, "Okay...go lie down, then. I'll check on you after dinner. You sure you don't want something to eat? Did you eat today?"

"I ate," Kit promised, "But I'm not hungry, now."

"You're sure?" Everly pushed, "You can have food in your room just this once. Come on, how often do I bend that rule?"

Kit chuckled and shook her head, "As tempting as that sounds, I'm really not hungry. I'll make it up with a big breakfast. Promise. Thanks, mom."

"Okay..." Everly sighed, "Go lie down."

"Thanks," Kit kissed her mother's cheek, "I love you."

"I love you more," Everly replied.

"Not possible," Kit murmured.

"Yes, possible," Everly touched Kit's shoulder as she walked past, "Goodnight. If you see your father and sister, tell them dinner in two minutes."

Kit raised a hand in acknowledgment and continued her way upstairs. She almost bumped into her father on the way to her room.

"Dinner in two minutes," Kit muttered once she regained her footing.

"You okay?" Blake asked worriedly, cupping Kit's cheek, "Why the long face?"

Kit pretended to wince again, "Cramps. Remind me to eat a big breakfast, tomorrow."

"Eat a big breakfast, tomorrow," Blake repeated.

Kit couldn't help but laugh, "Funny."

"Sure you're okay?" Blake asked, just as his wife had done, "It's not like you to skip dinner. What's going on, Kit Kat?"

Kit blinked a few times and she shook her head, muttering something to herself that even she didn't understand. Her mother and father were both right. It wasn't like her to skip dinner. Even when she got sick or hurt, they would all pile up whether in her room or on the couch and eat dinner together.

What was she doing? She wasn't going to let a few stupid text messages ruin the time that she cherished with her family. No, she wasn't going to let it get to her. She was so much stronger than that. What was going on with her?

"Um, I wasn't feeling well and was planning on going to bed early," Kit started, "But I think I'll take some pain medication and be right down. Can you tell mom for me?"

"Sure," Blake nodded. He sighed, "Now, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

Kit stared at her father. Her parents knew her too well. It was a weird experience hiding this from them as she usually told them everything, but she didn't want them to worry. Her parents always kept a positive attitude, but the move had been hard on them. They had to uproot their lives as well and they constantly made sacrifices to keep Kit and her sister happy.

How would they react if Kit showed them a text message that was telling her to die? She couldn't put her parents through that and she didn't want to. She didn't want this to affect her home life. Her safe place.

Home was a place she could escape. Even if she got a text message, Kit was able to be distracted by the sound of her sister's laughter, by tea parties, her violin, or by her mother and father. She didn't want this to follow her home—to go home everyday and have her parents ask if anything had happened, if she had gotten anymore text messages. Home was peaceful and warm and she wanted to keep it that way.

"I might like a guy," Kit finally blurted out, "And he's eighteen."

Blake stood there, frozen. Then he reacted, moving past Kit to rush down the stairs, but he didn't yell and Kit had to give him credit for that.

Kit made her way into the bathroom. She really didn't need any pain medication, so she settled for splashing cold water on her face, hoping that it would calm her down.

Pressing a towel to her face, Kit held her breath for a moment before she removed the towel, breathing out slowly.

"It's fine," she whispered to herself, "It's okay, I'm fine."

"Kitty?"

"Hmm?" Kit opened her eyes. She had left the door open and standing in the doorway was Indigo. She had cleaned up, dressed in her pink floral pajamas and her dirty blonde hair was damp and pulled into a ponytail.

"You're sad," Indigo stated, a pout on her face, "What's wrong?"

Kit blinked a few times and then she exhaled softly, placing the towel on the counter. She went to kneel down in front of her sister, placing her hands on Indigo's shoulders.

"I'm not sad," Kit whispered, "Not at all, honey."

Indigo narrowed her eyes, "You're lying."

"You're too observant," Kit countered.

Indigo stomped her foot, "Kitty!"

"Shhh," Kit hushed, "Listen, I'm fine, okay? You don't need to worry about me. I promise, I'm not sad."

And she wasn't. Sure, Katie ending her friendship had made her a little gloomy, but that was high school, wasn't it? Friends came and went. It was the text messaging that sometimes bothered her, but it didn't make her sad. At least, she didn't think so. No, she was fine.

"Come on," Kit pecked Indigo's forehead and stood up, holding her hand out, "Let's go downstairs for dinner."

Indigo accepted the hand her sister held out, sighing softly. She was much more social than her sister. Unlike Kit, Indigo didn't wait to be approached, she approached people. She had made quite a few friends at her new school, her unique name attracting attention, but she didn't mind. She loved her name.

She wasn't much for tantrums, but she did get emotional at times. And though she was a social butterfly and was loud, just like her father, she was mature for her age and knew when to hang back and listen.

That's why she knew that something was wrong with her sister—her favorite person in the whole entire universe! Every time Kit looked at her phone, her face almost crumpled at what was on the screen. Indigo didn't get it. What could be on there that was so bad?

* * *

Everly huffed and grumbled, tossing and turning violently in the king-sized bed.

"All right, all right, all right," Blake yawned and sat up, turning on the lamp that sat on his bedside table. He rubbed his eyes.

"What?" Everly demanded, sitting up herself.

"It's almost two in the morning," Blake grumbled, "And it's like sleeping with a fish out of water. Do you know how many bruises I'm probably going to find later?"

"I'm sorry," Everly yawned, "I can't sleep."

"I can tell," Blake pulled his wife into his arms, kissing the side of her head, "What's up?"

Everly flicked on her own lamp, "I'm worried about Kit."

"Ah, yes," Blake nodded knowingly.

"You noticed it too, then?" Everly waited for Blake to nod before she continued, struggling with her words, It's—she—she's acting weird. Weirder than normal and I'm not sure if there's something going on or if it's because of this boy she likes."

Blake growled as best as a human could.

"Oh, stop it," Everly slapped her husband's chest, "Be serious."

Blake sighed, scratching his chin, "I'm worried too, but we've both said something. She knows that we're here."

"I," Everly shook her head, "I don't know. You really think so?"

Blake shrugged, "Baby, what else can we do? She's a teenager...sixteen. You know, they go through that phase and she's always been a little independent. She drives now and has that freedom, she's making real friends, boys are asking her out, and she's been talking about looking for a job. At one point, she's not going to tell us every detail of her life."

Everly still wasn't convinced, "You think that's it?"

Blake shrugged, "I hope so. I mean, what else can we do? What do you think is going on?"

"She said some girls have been making fun of her clothes," Everly said, "But you should have seen her, Blake. She looked so," Everly shook her head, "Kit looked so...upset. I've never seen her like that."

"Sixteen is a weird age," Blake mumbled, "Her grades are all right?"

"Perfect," Everly smiled, "Straight 'A's. Even in gym. And she's sleeping well, eating, practicing her violin, never complains about her curfew, and she still plays with Indigo. That's all fine. She just seems...off."

"We'll keep an eye out," Blake promised, kissing Everly's cheek, "That's all we can do, right now. And if we notice more changes, we'll have another talk with her. Together."

"Okay," Everly nodded, "I can agree to that."

"Good," Blake turned off his lamp and adjusted Everly so that her back was against his chest, "Now, go to sleep."

Everly reached over and turned off the light, "Okay, thanks Blake."

"Mmm," he hummed, already fast asleep.

Everly twisted in Blake's grip and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. Blake was her rock and she had no idea where she would be without him, who she would be without him. They completed each other, but now they had their two children and that opened a whole new level of love that they didn't know existed. They would give up everything and anything as long as they could all stay together.

She exhaled softly and closed her eyes, trying to will herself to fall asleep. She supposed the only thing that she could do was hope. Hope that she was just overreacting and being the overprotective mother that she knew she was.


	6. You Don't Know How Lovely You Are

Emmett Cullen did his best not to worry about things that were out of his control and he was known to listen only to his instincts and make rash decisions. That didn't mean he was any less surprised when he found himself pulling into Kit's driveway, early Monday morning. He had borrowed one of the many 'spare' cars that his family kept in their huge garage. It was nice and sleek. Silver in color, a shade darker than Edward's Volvo.

While he had prepared to leave the house a whole hour before his siblings, Alice had given a little giggle and a smirk from her place on Jasper's lap. Rosalie had offered a shaky, tentative smile. Edward was probably wallowing in angst somewhere, and Esme and Carlisle had looked wary, but happy.

Perhaps the wariness from his adoptive parents was due to the fact that his last interactions with human girls hadn't gone well. He couldn't exactly remember what the girls had looked like. They smelled too good and he couldn't focus on any of his other senses. Emmett had drained each of them within' seconds. He had never felt so out of control in his life than in those moments. Not even when he was going through his newborn phase. He had felt extremely guilty at first and continued to in the several occasions he had tasted human blood, but he tried not to think about it. The feeling rarely made itself known as eternity was a long time to wallow in guilt.

Would Kit be able to accept that when she found out? That he had once been a monster who drained the life of innocents?

His control was a lot better now and thankfully, Kit's scent wasn't overwhelming. She smelled like white tea and chamomile. It made his throat burn, but he also found her scent soothing. Jasper had commented that he found Kit's scent easier to be around and that only increased Kit's points in Alice's book, but his little sister still found time to harass Edward about Bella which he found to be quite the entertainment on days he was bored.

He climbed out of the car, smoothing down his black turtleneck before he approached the door, knocking only a few times. From what he could hear, Kit's family had just finished breakfast. Someone was doing the dishes—Kit's mother, he guessed and another male who Emmett assumed to be Kit's father was helping her put them away.

Small footsteps rushed to the door and the lock was turned before it was flung open, revealing a wide-eyed child with long dirty blonde hair.

Upon seeing Emmett, Indigo's eyes became even wider and she gasped, "Biiiig..." she drawled out.

Emmett smirked and he knelt down to appear less intimidating. He wasn't sure how to deal with children, but he figured he could try his best to not scare the small thing or traumatize her.

"Hello," he said with a smile, "You must be Indigo, Kit's sister."

Indigo gnawed on her lower lip, clutching the door tightly with both hands, "M'not supposed to talk to strangers, Mister."

' _Smart kid_ ,' Emmett thought. He nodded, but before he could respond, Indigo had slammed the door in his face and relocked it. He could hear her running back towards the kitchen and shouting for her parents.

Well, so much for not scaring her.

" _Indigo Paige_ ," a female voice scolded from inside, " _I told you to wait for me_. _You know better than to answer the door on your own_."

By the time the door opened again, Emmett had straightened up from his crouched position and he ran a hand through his curly hair.

"Hello," the woman greeted, holding Indigo's hand, "May I help you?"

"Good morning, ma'am," Emmett smiled again, "I'm Emmett Cullen. Is Kit here?"

The woman in front of him smiled so big, that Emmett was worried her face would break. She bounced on her toes and ushered him inside to avoid the rain. He hesitated, but did as he was bid, following her inside. He had borrowed Edward's cellphone, and he prayed that Alice was watching, right now. That she would call if she saw something go wrong.

"I'm Everly, Kit's mother," the woman gushed, "I've heard quite a bit about you!"

Emmett raised his eyebrows. Kit had spoken about him?

"Have you?" he inquired, "Good things, I hope?"

"Very good things," Everly promised, leading him through the living room and to the kitchen, "Don't hit your head."

Emmett chuckled in response and ducked. The kitchen was bigger than the living room, the counters granite and the floor sleek hardwood. There were six burners on the stove and the oven was large, a smaller one underneath it. The cabinets were painted white and near the back wall of the kitchen was a table suited for six.

"You have a beautiful home," Emmett remarked.

"Thank you, honey," Everly beamed and looked over her shoulder to the man standing at the sink, "Blake, come say hello."

"Hello," Blake greeted, wiping his hands. He held one out, "Blake Algren."

Emmett shook his hand with the lightest and shortest touch possible, "Emmett Cullen. It's very nice to meet you, sir."

"Ah," Blake nodded knowingly, narrowing his eyes, " _You're_ -

"Blake..." Everly said warningly. She turned to Indigo, "Sweetie, did you say hello?"

"Hi," Indigo beamed up at him, radiating happiness much like her older sister, "You're huge!"

"Indigo Paige," Everly hissed. She looked up at Emmett, "I'm sorry, Emmett."

Emmett however, laughed loudly, not at all offended. He liked this kid, "So, I've heard, kiddo. You know, Kit talks about you, a lot."

"Does she?" Indigo gasped.

Emmett nodded, seeing the approving look Everly sent him, "Mhm. She says that you're her best friend, that you have tea parties together, and that you like to collect seashells. You have tons, don't you?"

Indigo nodded and grinned, "What else, what else!?"

Everly placed her hand atop her daughter's head, "Indi, you're going to bounce out of your shoes."

Indigo giggled, but settled down, remaining by her mother's side.

"So, Emmett," Blake grumbled, "What can we do for you?"

"I came to offer Kit a ride to school," Emmett explained, "With your permission of course, Mr. Algren."

"Blake," he corrected. He was never fond of formalities, "How long have you had your license? Any speeding tickets, problems with the law, reckless driving?"

Emmett shook his head, "I've had my license for two years, now. No speeding tickets or any problem with the law. I do my best to make my family proud and would never jeopardize that by getting into trouble."

Technically, he had just never gotten caught. He was sure his family had broken so many laws, even a life sentence wouldn't be enough to satiate it—not that a measly jail cell could hold them, but he didn't need to mention that. No, he knew his part as human down to the smallest detail. It was perfect.

"Honey, would you like something to eat?" Everly asked kindly, "A muffin, coffee, anything?"

"No, thank you," Emmett declined, "I ate before I came."

"Kit?" Everly called, slapping a hand over Blake's mouth before he could ask another question, "Kit, come down here, please."

Indigo shrieked out a laugh at her mother and Blake gently shoved his wife's hand away, pecking her on the cheek before he went back to doing the dishes.

"Sorry, mom. I was looking over new music and I had my headphones..." Kit trailed off and her eyes widened, "Emmett?"

"Good morning, Kit," Emmett turned to face her, "How are you this morning?"

"I-I," Kit stuttered, hoping that the surprise wasn't too obvious on her face, "Good morning. Um, I-I'm fine, thank you," she told him, "Sorry, but...how long have you been here? I hope I didn't keep you waiting?"

"Don't worry, I haven't been here long," Emmett promised, "Your parents and I were simply introducing ourselves."

Kit blushed, "I-I see. Um..."

Emmett snickered at how fluttered she was. She was so cute. She was wearing a long-sleeved pristine white turtleneck sweater, a red, black and white classic pleated plaid school skirt that almost touched her ankles, and simple black wide square heels with giant bows on the front. In her hair she wore a silver paste butterfly hairpin.

"I was wondering if you'd like a ride to school?" Emmett held up his car keys.

"Now?" Kit asked. Her eyes flicked over when Blake snorted, but he along with the rest of her family were pretending to do the dishes. She had only been downstairs for a minute or so, but it was the plate she had seen her mother wash when she had first excused herself to go upstairs.

Emmett chuckled, "Well, school does start soon. If you prefer to drive yourself, then that's all right."

"No," Kit shook her head, regaining her composure, "A ride would be lovely. Thank you, Emmett."

"Wait!" Blake cried, causing Kit to jump, "Turn around, Kit Kat."

Kit frowned, but did as she was told, "Like this?"

"Perfect," Blake took out his own cellphone, pressed a few buttons, and then the shutter went off, "Don't move, Emmett."

"Yes, Sir," Emmett stood perfectly still.

"Daddy?" Kit asked, her frown deepening, "What are you-

"Excuse me for a moment," Blake patted Kit's head as he walked by her and out the front door.

"Mom?" Kit arched an eyebrow, hoping she could get an answer.

Everly managed a small smile, "He's just taking precaution. You know, just in case..."

"In case…?" Kit pushed.

The front door closed and Blake came back into the kitchen, pocketing his cellphone.

"What was outside?" Kit asked, looking behind her and then back, "Were you taking more pictures?"

"Of the car," Blake nodded. He looked at Emmett, "I have your license plate—front and back—and a full body picture of both you and my daughter. I don't want you trying anything funny. You will be found."

"Yes, Sir," Emmett nodded again. The thought of being found by a human was hilarious, but he understood Blake's motives behind the pictures. Here he was, a large 69-year-old vampire (or an eighteen-year-old guy if he went by his false birth certificate) asking to drive Blake's daughter to school. He was sure it sounded fishy, but he had no intentions other than good ones.

Kit wasn't at all bothered by what her father had done and simply smiled, "Can I go with Emmett, then?"

"I want you to text me or your mother as soon as you arrive at the school," Blake said firmly, "Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Kit promised with a nod.

"And if you would like to talk to my father," Emmett spoke up, "He works as the Chief Surgeon at Forks General. I promise, I would never hurt Kit and I have no plans to kidnap her. I have a test in Calculus, today."

Everly and Indigo laughed, but Blake looked less than amused.

"It's fine with me," Everly interjected, "But be safe. Kit, honey? Why don't you go get a jacket? You know how cold it gets and it will probably rain."

"Yes, mother," Kit nodded and smiled shyly, "I'll be right back."

"I'll be right here," Emmett promised.

Kit scrunched up her nose, "Daddy..."

"I'll keep him under control," Everly promised thorough Indigo's giggles, "Indi, too."

Indigo nodded her head in confirmation and Kit shot her father one more glance before she turned on her heel and walked back upstairs to fetch her jacket.

Blake sighed loudly and leaned his elbows on the counter, "Why don't you tell us about yourself, Emmett? What's your home life like?"

"Well, I'm eighteen and I live with all four of my adoptive and foster siblings," Emmett started, shoving his hands into his pockets, "My adoptive mom and dad took me in a long time ago when my parents were...unable to take care of me. My family and I all get along pretty well. My brothers and sisters—we all go to school together."

"I'm sorry about your situation," Blake said sincerely.

Emmett nodded, "It's okay. Carlisle and Esme have been my parents for awhile, now."

"You do well in school?" Everly asked hopefully.

"Straight 'A's," Emmett said proudly.

"Any hobbies?" Everly asked before Blake could open his mouth.

"Ahh," Emmett scratched the back of his neck, sheepishly, "Not much. I'll play baseball with my family, wrestle around and stuff. But I love playing chess or video games with my family too."

"Family is important to you," Blake stated.

"Yes," Emmett nodded, his face serious, "Very much so."

Everly hummed in satisfaction, "How lovely. You don't smoke or drink?"

"No, ma'am," Emmett shook his head.

Blake cleared his throat, getting the attention back to him, "So, Emmett. You and my Kit are good friends?"

"Good friends," Emmett repeated. He nodded slowly, "Yes, friends. We eat lunch together on occasion."

"Do you liiiiiike, her?" Indigo teased, giggling behind her hand.

"Shhhh," Emmett placed a finger to his lips, winking, "It's a secret."

Indigo shrieked out another laugh and Emmett forced a smile. A question from a tiny little eight-year-old shouldn't have caused all these feelings to stir up in him. Sure, he liked Kit. He didn't think he was in love with her, but he could see himself falling for her. Right now, it was a small crush. Medium-sized at best. Yes, only medium-sized…

At least, that's what he told himself.

* * *

Kit couldn't believe that Emmett had shown up at her house. She didn't mind, not at all. In fact, she was impressed that he had shown up to meet her parents just to ask permission if he could drive her to school. It was very old-fashioned and through Blake's cold demeanor, Kit could tell that he approved. Her mother definitely did.

"Y-you drive fast," Kit squeaked out, gripping onto the windowsill, "Are you sure you weren't lying about getting any speeding tickets?"

Emmett winced and forced himself to slow down to seventy-five. That was like a snail's pace to him, but he needed to learn to slow down and control himself if he was going to continue to be around Kit. Especially because she didn't know what he was yet.

"Is that better?" he asked hopefully.

Kit nodded, relaxing her grip, "You do this often?"

"Never get caught," Emmett bragged, "We all do it. Even my father."

"Why, though?" Kit asked curiously, "There's not much traffic here."

"My whole family likes to...indulge in fast cars," Emmett explained. He hesitated with his next words, but said them anyway, "It's an inside joke."

"You seem to have a lot of those," Kit said bluntly. She fixed one of the pins in her hair to distract herself.

Emmett smirked, "Yeah," he nodded once, "I'll tell you about them one day."

"Really?" Kit asked, shocked.

"Promise," Emmett said, pulling into the school parking lot. He parked next to the spot Edward usually occupied and turned the heater up when he saw Kit shiver, "We're early."

Kit pulled out her phone, "Do you mind if I make a phone call?"

Emmett shook his head, "Go for it."

Knowing how her father's mind worked, Kit decided that calling would be easier. She went to her father's contact card and pressed the green button.

Blake answered almost immediately, his voice laced with panic, " _Hello_?"

"I'm at school, daddy," Kit said.

Blake paused, " _You called me_?"

" _Yes_ ," Kit drawled out.

" _Why didn't you text me_?" Blake demanded.

" _Oh_ , _Blake_ , _stop it_ ," Everly said from somewhere in the background.

"I thought you would like to hear my voice," Kit explained, "What if someone took my phone and forged a text message?"

" _Look at you thinking outside the box_ ," Blake praised, a grin in his voice, " _Very well_. _Come home straight after school_ , _okay_?"

"Yes," Kit promised, "I will."

" _Okay_ , _have a nice day at school_ ," Blake said, " _Learn something_."

Kit grinned, "No promises, but I'll try."

" _Let me know if you need us to come pick you up_ ," Blake said firmly, " _Bye_ , _Kit Kat._ "

"I will. Bye, daddy," Kit hung up the phone and returned it to her bag after switching it on to vibrate.

She glanced out the window. The parking lot was practically empty, the only sound was the rain pattering gently on the roof of the car. She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes.

"This is nice," she breathed, her entire body relaxing. Her eyes fluttered open and she breathed in the sweet smell that permeated the car, "Can I ask you something?"

Emmett shrugged, "Shoot."

Kit focused her gaze on the smooth black dashboard, "Why did you come to my house, today?"

"To drive you to school," Emmett said, but he knew that wasn't the answer she was looking for.

Kit finally moved to look at him, "Yes, but _why_?"

Emmett sighed, leaning his own head against the headrest. He closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't understand how Edward could stay away from Bella the way he was. Especially the way the girl smelled. It was so much easier to just go with the flow. To accept the feelings—to listen to Alice, actually. While a part of him was irritated at how soft and human he was acting, another part simply didn't give a crap. Esme would be proud of him. A lot of her things in the house would now be preserved. He was learning control, which meant they would be able to stay longer. He couldn't count the number of times the family had to relocate because of him. He wasn't one to dwell on feelings of negativity, such as guilt, but he hated the look on Rosalie's face when they had to pack up and leave.

Now, how could he make this sound not so cliché and without giving away his secret? God, he was glad his brothers weren't around. They would hound him for centuries if they were to overhear this. Of course, he would just kick their asses, but that was beside the point.

"Forgive me," he started slowly, "I'm not as eloquent as the rest of my family. Kit, you're cute, funny, and smart. I love the way you scrunch up your nose and you're not afraid to be blunt, or speak your mind. I love your freckles and the light that lives in your eyes. You're determined, selfless, and caring. You try to find the positive in everything and you keep a constant smile on your face. You're musical, open-minded and I love that about you. Though, you have this habit of biting your nails and an _awful_ habit of over-apologizing. You're organization-crazy and I swear it tests my sanity. It gets on my nerves here and there, but Kit Algren, it's been a pleasure getting to know you these last few weeks and I hope I can continue getting to know you."

Kit could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and her heart sped up in a mixture of wonder and embarrassment. Emmett had really noticed all those things about her? He had paid _that_ much attention? Wow…

"As cliché and peculiar as this sounds," Emmett continued softly, "You've awakened new feelings in me and I'm finding it..." he struggled to find the right word. He usually wasn't so proper or mushy, "I would like to see more of you."

"Oh..." Kit winced at how awkward and strangled that came out. She hadn't meant it that way, but they way he had worded it sounded off.

Emmett's booming laugh filled the car and he shook his head. From looking through the black veil of his human memories, he gathered that he had been somewhat of a womanizer, but he wanted his future relationship with Kit to last a long time...forever and she was someone who deserved to be treated like a proper lady instead of a cheap hookup.

"Let me try again," Emmett smiled, "In simple and blatant terms: I _like_ you and I was wondering if you would do me the honors of accompanying me on a date?"

Kit's eyes danced to every corner and she played with a loose thread on her sweater. Emmett had asked her on date. He liked her. It wasn't like when Tyler had asked her on date and she had been a bit uncomfortable. No, this was different. That pull in her chest was still there, but it wasn't as bad. It was fine, now. But, she did have butterflies in her stomach. Good butterflies.

Seeing that Emmett was waiting for an answer, she looked over at him and smiled shyly, "A date sounds wonderful."

Emmett closed his eyes for a moment, relieved. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, maybe for Kit to say no. Maybe for Kit to be scared and run out of the car. He found it hard to believe that she didn't find him scary. Everyone found him scary. Heck, people found _Alice_ scary. He thought of warning Kit how dangerous he really was. That he was lethal, but he just couldn't find the words. No, not yet.

Asking Kit on a date had been another rash and thoughtless decision and he wondered if Alice had seen it. Perhaps she had known all along and that was the reason for her mischievous laughter before he had taken leave of the house.

He'd have to plan a date that didn't involve food and he would have to check with Alice about the weather. Ah, the perks of having a sister who saw the future.

"My parents like you," Kit said softly, breaking the comfortable silence.

Emmett looked at her disbelievingly, "Even your father?"

Kit laughed softly, "He'll take some time to warm up to you, but he likes that you came to the house and asked for permission."

"If you say so," Emmett breathed. He reached for the heater knob, "Are you warm enough?"

Kit nodded, "Yes, thank you."

Cars were starting to pull into the parking lot and Emmett chuckled when he saw Edward's car park next to him.

"What's funny?" Kit asked.

"My siblings," Emmett told her, "Alice will be happy about our date."

"Will she?" Kit smiled, "Aww, that's sweet. She's such a gem."

Emmett opened his door, "We should get out of the car before she drags us out. Sit tight."

Kit blushed, but nodded, shifting in her seat as Emmett went around to open her door for her. She accepted the hand that he held out, gasping sharply when she was hauled to her feet. Her head spun and she placed her free hand on his chest for balance, fighting the spots in her vision.

Emmett winced. Too fast. _Way_ too fast.

"Are you okay?" he asked frantically.

Kit blinked a few times and closed her eyes, her grip tightening on his shirt, "M-mhm. Yes, I-I think— _wow_ , y-you're strong."

"You have no idea," Emmett mumbled. He used his free hand to touch her cheek, "You sure you're okay?"

"Y-yes," Kit opened her eyes, "Really, I-I'm fine, now. I was a tad dizzy. Head rush."

Emmett hesitantly released Kit, keeping his hands hovering in case she wasn't steady, "You're sure? Positive?"

"I'm fine, now, Emmett," Kit promised, chuckling, "Really, thank you for driving me."

"Anytime," Emmett mumbled, clearly still worried. At least he hadn't broken any of her bones.

Across the parking lot, a Freshman boy tripped over his untied shoelaces and dropped his books, cursing when a few of his papers scattered.

"Oh no," Kit winced, touching Emmett's arm, "I'm going to go help, but I'll see you after school?

Emmett nodded and he watched as she ran off, her heels clicking against the cement. She beamed at the Freshman and began to gather up the books, chatting to him the whole time.

"You drove her to school?" Edward asked disbelievingly.

Emmett arched an eyebrow, "I can assume that's a rhetorical question?"

"Who are you and what have you done with my real brother? Usually you're much more of an insensitive jerk," Edward said.

"Kit's making me soft," Emmett winced and then grinned, clapping his brother on the back, "Don't worry, bro, I'll be back soon. It's part of my natural state."

Rosalie pursed her lips, "You reek like humans. Are you sure picking her up is _all_ you did?"

Emmett shot her a disapproving look, "I met her family."

"You did?" Jasper asked, surprised, "And they're still alive?"

Emmett rolled his eyes. Sometimes, he questioned whether or not Rosalie and Jasper were really just _passing_ as twins.

"Isn't her sister the cutest thing?" Alice gushed, "By the way, it will be sunny, next week. Monday and Tuesday."

"And we'll be hunting this Friday and Saturday," Edward interjected.

' _Hell yeah_ , _we are_ ,' Emmett thought, nodding. He was very eager for bear season, ' _You better not cancel on me_ , _kid_.'

"Wouldn't dream of it," Edward said, clearly distracted, "We won't be back until midnight, Sunday."

"You'll have to find another time for your _date_ ," Rosalie snapped, "Too bad."

Emmett opened his mouth to give a rude retort, but he closed his mouth when he heard the sound of Kit's loud laughter. He turned his head and saw the girl dragging Bella by the arm. The two were the same height, but Kit was taller in heels.

" _Bella_ , _it will be_ _ **so**_ _much fun_ ," Kit looked over her shoulder, grinning, " _Come on_ , _out of the almost month that we've known each other_ , _have I given you a reason to doubt me_?"

" _No_ ," Bella said honestly, " _But I'm really bad at sports_. _If I fall_ , _you'll come down with me_."

Kit simply laughed at that and shook her head, " _If we're partners_ , _then Mike will leave you alone_. _I know he's been bothering you_."

" _Okay_ ," Bella said immediately, flushing scarlet, " _But if I hit you in the face_..."

Kit laughed, louder this time and even Bella cracked a smile, shaking her head.

"She's like another you," Edward looked at Alice, "A little less irritating, though."

Alice childishly stuck her tongue out and then looked at Edward, "Edward, I love you dearly, but for once, why can't you be more like Emmett? I want to talk to Bella."

"You have Kit," Edward pointed out.

Alice huffed, "That doesn't mean I don't miss Bella. You're so depressed all the time. I'm concerned."

Edward snorted, "You sound like Esme."

"Well, it's true," Alice said firmly, "How many times do I have to tell you? The future is set. You won't be able to stay away from her."

Edward shrugged, almost carelessly, "I've done a good job, so far."

"Yes, you're constant misery is _such_ a prize," Emmett joked, "Congratulations."

Edward growled at him before he stalked away, leaving his siblings to stare after him. Rosalie's thoughts were still furious, so he tried his best to stay out of her head.

Emmett had changed and Edward found it extremely annoying. He would never admit it, but he was sort of jealous of Emmett's new found happiness. He was shocked, too. He thought Emmett would be more like him when Alice revealed his future: doing his best to stay away, trying to change things.

But he should have known better. Emmett was the type to take things in stride. To accept things without much question and Emmett had definitely done so with Kit. He didn't seem to care much that Kit would most likely become a vampire. Then again, Emmett had been perfectly fine with his transformation and didn't see it as an abomination. Kit becoming one of them would make things easier for the both of them and that's what Emmett cared about. The burly vampire didn't think much when it came to consequences.

Edward sighed heavily, running a hand over his face. He really couldn't wait for the hunting trip on Friday.

* * *

It was on Kit's way into her second class when Lauren crashed into her, spilling iced coffee all over the front of Kit's white sweater.

"Lauren!" Kit cried, jumping back.

Lauren gasped, her hand dramatically going to cover her mouth, "Oh my gosh, Kit, I'm _so_ sorry. You should really learn to watch where you're going. Hold on, let me get some paper towels. Mr. Varner can you throw this away for me, please?"

Mr. Varner sighed and took the cup, eying the two girls with botheration, "This is exactly why we do not allow drinks in class, Ms. Mallory."

"Sorry," Lauren smiled, accepting the bundle of paper towels from the math teacher, "Low blood sugar. Here, Kit, maybe it will come out."

Kit took the paper towels, "Thanks, Lauren," she whispered.

"No problem," Lauren smirked, placing a hand on Kit's shoulder. She pouted, "Why haven't you been answering my text messages? I thought we were friends?"

Kit eyes widened and she didn't hesitate to nod when Lauren's fingers tightened. Right, Mr. Varner was still watching, "I-I thought it might have been you, but I didn't recognize the number. I'll do that next time. Answer...yo-your text messages."

"Great!" Lauren grinned, bouncing on her toes, "Well, I have to get to class. See you later, _Kit_."

"Bye," Kit whispered, flinching when Lauren bumped her shoulder.

Mr. Varner sighed again and placed a ton of paper towels where some coffee had gotten on the floor.

"Mr. Varner, may I go to the restroom?" Kit begged, the towels becoming sticky in her hands, "Please?"

"You may," Mr. Varner nodded, "Try not to take too long. Class, watch out for the paper towels! There was an accident."

A few people sniggered at Kit's appearance and she kept her head down as she hurried to the closest bathroom. She had a nagging suspicion that it had been Lauren text messaging her and she was surprised that the blonde had admitted it. Maybe Lauren had done so because she knew that Kit had no plans on telling anyone.

Once she was in the bathroom and after making sure that she was alone, Kit looked into the fingerprint-spotted mirror. She groaned. The stain was a lot worse than she had anticipated. Almost the entire front of her sweater had a dark brown stain on it and she could feel the fabric start to stick to her skin.

She tried with no success to get the stain out of her sweater and things only continued to get worse when she felt her throat tighten and her eyes sting. She was about to cry.

She couldn't tell if it was the bullying finally getting to her or if it was the fact that her grandmother's sweater was now ruined. Maybe it was both. Either way, Kit wasn't sure what to do about either situation. She felt trapped. Like a sitting duck. But things would get better, she was sure of it. They just had to.

Sniffling, Kit wiped her eyes and threw the damp paper towel away. It was no use, but she grabbed another one.

"Look at me," she whispered to herself, allowing a tear to fall down her face before she wiped it away, "I can't walk around like this."

The door opened and Kit jumped, sniffling one last time and rubbing her eyes again before she concentrated too hard on her reflection and getting the stain out to no avail. She prayed it wasn't Lauren or any of her clique coming in to tease her.

"That's not going to come out, ya' know."

Kit met a pair of dark brown eyes in the mirror. Standing slightly behind her was a girl with olive brown skin, straight black hair with blue undertones that fell to her lower back. She had roundish-almond eyes, and a straight-edged nose. She was thin and 5'3, wearing an olive-green scoop-neck shirt and black leggings.

"I k-know," Kit said shakily. She threw out the paper towel and pursed her lips, willing herself not to start crying again.

"I'm in your Algebra class," the girl said, "And I sit next to you in English. I'm in your Biology class too, but I sit in the back and you sit towards the front."

Kit's teary eyes lit up with recognition and she nodded, "Oh, yes. I'm sorry, I recognize you, now."

"I'm Willa," she introduced, "Willa Korai."

"Kit Algren," another tear slid down her face and lowered her head, wiping it away before Willa could see.

"You look ridiculous," Willa said. There was a tiny lilt of an accent behind her voice.

Kit flicked her eyebrows up. Is this why Willa had come in? To make fun of her?

"Hold on a minute," Willa pulled her dark brown backpack from her shoulder and unzipped it, "Take off your sweater."

Kit frowned, finally turning to face her, "Pardon?"

Willa flicked her eyebrows up much like Kit had done, "Your sweater?" she said as if talking to a three-year-old, "Take it off."

Kit hesitated, looking at Willa oddly. After a minute, she shrugged and pulled off her sweater, leaving her clad in her light pink bra.

"Cute bra," Willa commented.

"Thank you," Kit cleaned off her stomach with another paper towel and threw it away. She folded up her sweater as neatly as she could and placed it in her bag.

"Here," Willa held out a black shirt, "We have different body-types, but I think it should fit."

Kit held up the shirt. It was a ¾ sleeve scoopneck.

"I'm a dancer," Willa explained, seeing the look on Kit's face, "And I have class, tonight. I usually put that on over my leotard when it's over, but I can survive a day without it."

Kit looked at her, "Are you sure?"

Willa nodded, "Ever hear of the girl code? Besides, I owe you. You gave me your notes in English, remember? Got my grade back up to a 'A'."

"Yes, I remember," Kit said, "After the chapter quiz."

Willa chuckled, "Unless you want to to walk around in your bra all day, you should probably put that shirt on on. Actually, a lot of guys would probably be happy if you didn't."

"Ugh," Kit scrunched up her nose in disgust and pulled the shirt over her head, adjusting it, "Thank you so much, Willa. Really, this means a lot."

Willa waved her off, "I'm sure you'd do the same for me. Though, I'm not sure I'd be caught dead wearing what you do."

Kit could hear the playful tone in Willa's voice and she shrugged, "Most people wouldn't."

Seeing the unshed tears built up in Kit's eyes, Willa's expression changed to one that was softer. She had been sitting at the desk she shared with some other girl when Kit came in. Willa had seen the annoying smirk on Lauren Mallory's face as she subtly loosened the flimsy plastic top from her drink and walked straight into Kit.

The false bravado Lauren had put on for Mr. Varner was laughable and Willa wondered if the math teacher really bought it, or if he saw through it, but chose to ignore it. Most teachers did. They were tired, hands cramped and stained with red ink from grading papers. Coffee ran through their veins and they had no time to deal with drama or get involved. That would only include more work for them and that didn't include overtime.

"You should tell someone," Willa suggested, "About Lauren."

"There's nothing to tell," Kit mumbled.

"Your tone is _so_ convincing," Willa remarked sarcastically.

Kit shook her head, blotting her eyes with a paper towel, trying to get the redness to go down, "I just—I don't want to talk about it," she whispered.

"Okay," Willa relented, "But...even if it's just your boyfriend or something. It might help to tell someone."

"My what?" Kit asked, frowning.

"Your boyfriend?" Willa repeated.

"I don't have a boyfriend," Kit murmured.

"Oh," Willa looked embarrassed, "I thought you were dating Emmett Cullen?"

Dating? True, Emmett _had_ asked Kit out on a date, but that hadn't even happened yet.

"He's not my boyfriend," Kit said quietly.

"Huh," Willa shrugged, dropping it, "Well, you should still tell someone, don't you think?"

"I don't know," Kit whispered, "Maybe..."

Seeing Kit's reluctance to talk, Willa sighed, "We should get back to class. Mr. Varner is going to think that we ditched."

Kit nodded in agreement and followed Willa out of the bathroom, "Thanks again."

"Don't mention it," Willa smiled, "You sure you're okay?"

Kit bit her lip and gave a quick nod, "Fine. I'm fine."

Willa eyed Kit with disbelief, but didn't comment.

Instead, Kit changed to another topic, "Where do you eat lunch?"

"Mrs. Goff let's me eat in her classroom," Willa grinned, "I do my work in there and on really good days, she'll let me push around the desks and I'll practice, but don't tell anyone I told you."

"Is that part of the girl code?" Kit asked.

Willa laughed. Her laugh was inappropriately loud, but it didn't seem like she cared.

"Yeah, something like that," Willa told her.

With that said, Willa opened the door, allowing Kit to go in first before she followed.

"Ah, Ms. Algren, Ms. Korai," Mr. Varner greeted, "How nice of you to grace us with your presence."

Willa rolled her eyes and went to her seat, while Kit said nothing as she approached her own. She hooked her bag over the chair and pulled out her textbook and her spiral notebook, flipping to an empty page, a smile on her face.

* * *

After school, Kit found Emmett waiting for her at his car, though he met her halfway and walked the rest of the way with her.

"Did you change your clothes?" Emmett asked, pinching the fabric gingerly between his fingers.

"Only my top," Kit mumbled, "I bumped into someone before math and got coffee all over it. A girl—Willa gave me her spare shirt."

"That was nice of her," Emmett smiled, "Did you get the stain out?"

"Mm, no," Kit shook her head, "It's white. I'll probably have to throw it out if bleaching doesn't work."

"I bet Alice can get the stain out," Emmett suggested.

"Oh, that's all right," Kit declined with a smile, "I don't want to be trouble."

"It's no trouble at all!"

Kit jumped, squeaking when Alice wrapped herself around Kit's free arm. She looked down at the pixie-like girl and chuckled, "Hello, Alice. Hello, Jasper. You startled me."

Alice smiled, her free hand laced with Jasper's who walked beside her, "I'm sorry. Now, about your shirt."

"Really, Alice, it's fine," Kit promised.

"Nonsense," Alice took the bag from Kit's shoulder and dug through it until she found the folded up clothing, "Here it is! No need for the precious clothing to suffer."

"You might as well give in," Jasper suggested with an amused smile, "She's not going to give up until you do."

"Okay," Kit chuckled, "Good luck. Thank you, Alice."

"You're welcome," Alice handed Kit back her bag, "I suppose I should leave you and my brother alone, now."

Another kiss on the cheek from Alice, astonished Kit and she watched Alice walk away, talking softly to Jasper as she went. Kit saw Edward and Rosalie standing by the Volvo watching her and she moved her gaze to Emmett.

"I'm excited for our date," she admitted quietly.

Emmett smirked, "Me too. Does Wednesday after school sound all right?"

Kit eyes widened slightly. Wednesday? That was the day after tomorrow.

"That's soon," she said. Then, she smiled warmly at his shocked look, "Perfect!"

Emmett chuckled and nodded. Damn, he had landed himself one hell of a woman.

Approaching the car, he opened the passenger door for her and waited for her to get settled before he closed it. He turned towards his siblings who were sitting in Edward's car, "See you at home, yeah?"

Edward gave the barest nod of his head and Emmett nodded back, going to climb into the driver's side.

"How was your day?" Kit asked, crossing her ankles. She folded her hands inside her usual yellow jacket, "Anything interesting?"

"Seeing you," Emmett supplied with a cheeky grin.

Kit shot Emmett a look and shook her head, managing a small laugh, "How clever."

"Was that a pity laugh?" Emmett asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

"A little bit," Kit admitted, "I didn't think it would hurt."

"You were wrong," Emmett sighed dramatically, "You wound me, Kit Algren."

"That's too bad," Kit winced, "And I was _really_ starting to like you. Is there anyway that I can make it up to you?"

Emmett pretended to think about it, "Just don't bail out on our date, Wednesday."

Kit hummed, "I think I can do that. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Great," Emmett grinned.

"Great," Kit echoed.


	7. Trippin' On Skies, Sippin' Waterfalls

Wednesday, Kit found school extremely boring, but she was happy. Not even the glares from Lauren and her clique could get Kit down. She didn't even bother to look at her phone when it vibrated five times. The text messaging had continued to get worse. A lot worse. To the point where Kit now had to turn her phone on silent, but she decided she wasn't going to look at them. She didn't want to risk getting upset when she was in such a good mood. Besides, the text messages were all the same. She would read them later.

"You look like you're going to jump out of your skin," Willa commented, walking Kit to her car after school.

"I'm excited," Kit whispered, "I've never been on a date before."

Willa laughed, "He _is_ cute," she nudged Kit playfully, "Want to see if you can hook me up?"

"Because I have the word 'matchmaker' tattooed on my forehead?" Kit teased.

Willa grinned, "I was kidding. Are you going to ask him to the school dance?"

"The what?" Kit asked, confused.

"There's a school dance coming up," Willa said matter-of-factually, "Haven't you seen the flyers? Girls ask the guys."

Kit scrunched up her nose, stopping by her car, "What if I don't want to go?"

Willa laughed, drawing a few stares, "Then don't go, weirdo. Look, I'll see you, tomorrow. But call me, tonight, okay?"

"Okay," Kit promised, "See you."

"Bye!" Willa called back.

Kit smiled. She and the other Sophomore had become fast friends after their exchange in the girl's bathroom. They had signed up to be partners for an English project and had partnered in math the day before.

"Kit!"

Kit gasped sharply and jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder. She whirled around to see Eric grinning at her with a sheeplike smile and she took a few steps back, putting distance between them.

"Hello, Eric," Kit greeted, "You startled me. How are you? Is everything okay?"

"I'm great," Eric said, "I came to wait by Bella's truck," he gestured to it, "And I saw you. Thought'd I say 'hey'."

"Hey," Kit said, blinking a few times. She glanced at Bella's truck then back at Eric, "Um, I'm sorry, can you back up a little bit? You came to what?"

Eric cringed, "That must have sounded creepy, huh? Let me rephrase: I'm going to ask Bella to the dance."

Kit frowned and out of the corner of her eye she could see Edward making his way over. Kit herself would need to go soon if she wanted to change.

"I'm sorry," Kit repeated, shaking her head, "I thought the dance was supposed to be girl's choice?"

"Yeah, but..." Eric shrugged, grinning again.

Kit pursed her lips. She was well-known for her consistent politeness, but she was also known to speak her mind—to the point where it was almost inappropriate. But over the years, as she grew up, she had learned when to keep her thoughts to herself or when to keep quiet and occasionally filter. However, this was not one of those times. She would need to be careful with her words, not wanting to give Eric any false hope that Bella was interested in him.

"It's not my business," Kit started gently "But if the dance is girl's choice then don't you think you should wait for a girl to ask you? What if you make Bella or someone else uncomfortable?"

Eric looked worried, his mind still on Bella, "You think I will?"

Kit smiled, trying to lighten up the situation. While she was looking at Eric, she could see Edward watching her. He was trying to be subtle about it, but it wasn't working.

Kit forced a small laugh, her tone light and uneasy, "You did just tell me that you came out early to wait by Bella's truck."

"Oh..." Eric blushed, running a hand through his hair, "It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

Kit grimaced. She wasn't sure that she could be any clearer without be rude, "Um, I suppose so? Just remember...boundaries."

"Boundaries, cool," Eric nodded, "Thanks, Kit. So, are you going to the dance?"

"I don't think so," Kit told him, "I don't fancy them much, but I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun."

"I heard Tyler talking about asking you," Eric scoffed as if he hadn't been planning to do the same thing, "Mike too."

Kit frowned. Tyler and Mike had asked her out and she had already said no—multiple times. She was starting to get both irritated and creeped out. No meant no, not 'no, but keep asking, I might say yes.' What was the point of girl's choice if the guys were going to ignore it and try and takeover?

"I'm not going," Kit said, forcefully hiding her irritation, "And if I was, I already have someone I would ask."

"Who would it be?" Eric asked, his eyes wide.

"Simply someone," Kit smiled, "I have to go, now, but it was nice talking to you, Eric. And thank you, for telling me about Mike and Tyler. I'll keep an eye out."

Eric returned the smile, "Don't mention it. See ya'."

Kit waved and climbed into her car, being careful to avoid Eric as she pulled out of her parking spot. She could still feel Edward's gaze on her as he lingered in the same spot, slowing his steps even more as he approached his Volvo.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, Kit tried to focus on driving, to no avail. As she got closer and closer to home, her excitement increased and she almost thought of running home to release her pent up energy.

The date was going to be a surprise, according to Emmett. Even when Kit had begged Alice in the library at lunch to give her a hint, it hadn't worked. The only thing she had gathered was that she needed to dress light, but comfortable, no heels, and bring and extra change of clothes. What did that mean? Kit had no idea. She was no expert on boys, or dating, or dating boys.

She pulled in right next to her father's car and pulled her keys out of the ignition, her hand shaking. Hopefully, a warm shower and a cup of lavender tea would help ease her jitters.

"Mom? Daddy?" Kit called, closing the door, "Are you home?"

She found her parents cozy on the couch, watching a movie with a bowl of popcorn in front of them.

"Hey, Kit Kat," Blake greeted, as he muted the TV, "How was school?"

"Fine," Kit answered, "Willa and I were the first one's done with the chapter quiz in Algebra and we're partners for our English project."

"Really?" Everly perked up, "She's the one who gave you the shirt the other day?"

"Mhm," Kit nodded. She had felt terrible about lying to her parents about what really had happened. True, someone had bumped into her, but it hadn't been an accident.

"That's great," Everly smiled, "Feel free to invite her over anytime. Bella too! I'd love to meet them."

"Of course," Kit promised, "How was your day?"

"Exhilarating as always," Blake said, "The life of an artist is one-

"Dad," Kit groaned, kissing the top of his head, "You're such a Debbie Downer. Why can't you enjoy your days off?"

"I do enjoy them," Blake insisted. He grinned, pressing a kiss to Everly's neck, "Especially, when your mother-

"Wow, okay," Kit interrupted, holding her hands up, "That's enough. Emmett will be here soon. I'm going to shower real quick and change."

Everly laughed, "All right. We'll let him in."

"Okay," Kit called, hurrying up the stairs, "Thanks!"

She let out a cry when she ran straight into her door and fell backwards on her back. A loud bark-like laugh could be heard from downstairs and she groaned, debating on whether or not to just lie there for the rest of her life.

"Who closed my door!?" Kit shouted, sitting up.

" _Sorry_ , _honey_!" Everly called through her loud laughter, " _I was putting away your laundry_! _You left it in the dryer_!"

Kit groaned again, leaning a hand against the wall as she staggered to her feet. She rubbed her forehead, praying to whoever was listening that it didn't bruise.

Shaking herself off and dusting imaginary dirt from her light pink dress, Kit opened the door to her room and closed it, digging through drawers and her closet for the apparel that Emmett had described. Something light and comfortable and no heels.

Satisfied with what she had picked out, Kit went into the bathroom and jumped into the shower, lying her clothes on the closed toilet lid.

The shower was warm, a nice change from the cold weather outside. Thankfully, it wasn't raining, nor was it overcast. Only a few clouds were in the light gray sky. Much to Kit's surprise, the weatherman had predicted sunshine at some point during the week or late weekend and Kit was looking forward to it.

After her her shower, Kit shut off the water and toweled off before wrapping it around herself, using a smaller towel to put up her hair. She rubbed moisturizer into her face and applied her lotion before she worked on taming the mess that was usually her wavy hair. She could never blow dry it unless she desired to look like a male lion, so she had to settle for towel-drying it and running a wide-tooth comb through it, leaving the strands slightly damp.

Once satisfied with the state of her hair, she got dressed. The outfit she picked out consisted of a light gray shirt with a sequined white and black rose in the middle, a pair of high-waisted shorts that fell a little past her thighs, and a pair of beat up black sneakers that she had found in the back of her closet.

She pulled on her olive green khaki jacket and grabbed her simple light yellow backpack. She didn't use it often. The last time it had been taken off of its hook from the back of her door was when she had left her home in Hampton and has used it as her carry-on bag.

She packed an extra change of clothes, shouldered her bag, and took one last glance at herself in the mirror before she left her room. Making her way downstairs, she could hear Emmett's voice mingling with those of her parents, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Hi, Emmett," Kit greeted, smiling shyly.

"Hello, Kit," Emmett grinned, "Don't you look adorable?"

"Thanks!" Kit beamed.

"No bruise," Blake commented, pointing to Kit's forehead.

"Yes, I know," Kit scrunched up her nose and rubbed the spot, sighing when she saw Emmett's confused look, "I ran into my door, earlier."

Emmett failed to hold in a laugh, "You did?"

"Well, it's usually not closed," Kit shot her mother a look, "It caught me by surprise."

"I'm sorry!" Everly burrowed her face in Blake's shoulder, laughing, "I forgot."

"Let me see," Emmett stepped closer to Kit and brushed his fingers over her forehead, "Does it hurt?"

"No," Kit bit her lip, "I'm merely being melodramatic."

"Wonder where she gets that from?" Everly nudged Blake, "What do you think?"

"I have no idea, darling," Blake sighed heavily, his eyes roaming the room, "Your side of the family would be my guess."

Everly leaned away when Blake tried to kiss her, "Get away from me," she laughed, "I mean it!"

Emmett chuckled, dropping his hands from Kit's forehead, "Are you ready to go?"

"Where are you two going?" Everly asked, managing to escape Blake's hold.

Emmett leaned forward, whispering something in Everly's ear. Her eyes widened and she grinned.

"Oh, she'll love that!" Everly cried, her hands going to her cheeks, "That will be amazing!"

Emmett looked satisfied at the reaction and smiled widely when Everly whispered to Blake who also nodded in approval.

"Great," Blake said. He looked at Kit, "Curfew?"

"9:30," Kit recited.

"We'll be back before then," Emmett promised, "Before it gets dark out."

"Be safe, Kit Kat," Blake hugged her, "You'll have fun."

"Okay," Kit laughed when she pulled away from her father, in favor of hugging her mother, "I love you."

Everly released Kit, "I love you more."

"Not possible," Kit said, smiling.

Everly nodded, "Yes, possible."

Emmett watched the exchange with interest. Right off bat, he could tell it was something they've done before. Maybe a thousand times, but neither one of them seemed to be bored of it, both having love in their eyes as they spoke the practiced words.

"Take care of my daughter, Emmett," Blake said firmly.

"Of course, Sir," Emmett nodded curtly, "I promise, she'll be safe."

"Okay," Blake nodded, "Keep an eye out for yourself too."

"Thank you," Emmett smiled and turned to Kit, "Are you ready?"

"Mhm," Kit nodded, accepting the hand that Emmett held out.

She followed Emmett out of the house and stopped dead on the cement porch.

Parked at the side of the road was a monster Jeep. Its tires were higher than her waist. There were metal guards over the headlights and tail-lights, and four large spotlights attached to the crash bar. The hardtop was shiny red.

"Um..." Kit blinked a few times, "I'm not quite sure how to react."

Emmett let out a booming laugh, "It's my Jeep. It's a lot safer than it looks. I promise."

She nodded slowly and allowed Emmett to lead her over the passenger side. Like a gentleman, he opened the door for her, waiting.

She choked out a giggle as she prepared to step, "I think my legs are too short," she let out a full laugh now, looking at Emmett with disbelief, "How do you drive this thing!?"

Emmett laughed again, "Do you mind if I give you a boost?"

Kit shook her head, but still jumped when cold hands wrapped around her waist, pushing her into the seat when she put her leg up. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at all the buckles.

She fiddled with one of them, "Thank you," she said, "What is this?"

"You ask a lot of questions," he grumbled, going around to the driver's side.

"I'm a very curious person," she defended.

"Curiosity killed the cat," he recited, his tone teasing.

She arched an eyebrow, "But satisfaction brought it back," she grinned, "Are you going to tell me what all of this is?"

He helped her buckle, his hand brushing her cheek once he was finished, "An off-roading harness. You know, for off-roading. Don't worry, it's safe."

"I see."

He flicked his eyes up to her face, "Don't you trust me?"

She met his gaze, "Yes," she said, "I trust you. I've just never seen a car like this. It's impressive."

He smirked, remembering to buckle his own harness. It was a pain, but necessary. At least, for now. Turning the key, the engine roared to life, and he was pulling away from the house a second later.

She perked up when they began to drive, "Do I get to kn-

"No," he interrupted, "No, you do not."

"Can I have a hint?" she begged.

He paused, but relented, "We're going to Port Angeles."

Kit nodded. She and her family had driven through on their way to Forks, but other than that, she had never been. The hint only increased her curiosity, but she kept her mouth shut, a part of her not wanting to spoil the surprise.

"Are you scared, yet?"

The question caused Kit to look at Emmett, whose eyes were on her instead of the road. She had caught the hope that colored his voice and she bit her lip before she turned to head to watch the scenery pass by. She was surprised that her mother hadn't told her to take pictures.

"Should I be?" she inquired.

"I'm not sure yet," he said, just loud enough for Kit to hear.

She glanced at him, "Another inside joke?"

Her tone was conversational, light, but in reality, she was terrified and she was sure she would have thrown herself out of the car if she'd been able to figure out the harness. Was Emmett one of those guys who tried to be cold and mysterious or was he a psychopath planning to drag her body out somewhere? He had asked her once before if she was scared of him and she had smiled, thinking that he was joking. It was only now, that she realized maybe he had been completely serious.

"I'm sorry, Kit," Emmett spoke up, wincing when Kit jumped. He could hear her heartbeat and was concerned that it would beat itself out of her rib cage, "I shouldn't have said something like that."

Kit frowned and tried to keep her voice steady, "It was unnerving. Be honest, should I be frightened of you? Did you do something bad?"

"You shouldn't be frightened," he said after a moment, "I promise, that you're safe with me. I won't hurt you and I'll have you back home before dark. Safe and sound. If you'd like, I can take you back home, right now."

"You'd really take me home?" she asked, surprised.

Emmett nodded curtly, "Yes. Do you want me to turn around?"

"No?" Kit said.

He arched an eyebrow in response. Things were starting to get tense, but at least he had been able to gauge her reaction. She had been scared and that was good. It meant she had common sense and knew when she was in danger. She wasn't 'dazzled' by his appearance.

"No," she said, with more confidence. She managed a small smile and looked up at him, "Don't take me home. I've been looking forward to this since you asked me. So...that's almost forty-eight hours of pure excitement."

Emmett chuckled, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, "I'm sure. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings-

"You didn't," he interjected.

"I've never been on a date before," Kit continued as if she hadn't heard him, "Do you like pie?"

"I'm sorry?" Emmett choked out.

Kit's heart stuttered in her chest and she could feel her cheeks heat up to the point of pain. She wasn't one to blush often, but when she did, it meant she was really flustered or embarrassed. Pie, she had said. Like she was some sort of child going through their random question phase.

"I-I was trying to diffuse the awkwardness," she said, her cheeks burning with shame, "The tension..."

"And you thought of pie?" he asked, grinning.

"It's the first thing that popped into my head," she said defensively, "My mom was baking the other day. What? Do you have something better?"

He turned his blinker on, turning onto another road, "I do, actually. Do you like to play chess?"

She looked out the window to watch the scenery go by, "Chess," she repeated, thinking, "I don't know, I haven't played in awhile. Do you?"

"I like my version of chess," he told her, "It's complicated, though. Jazz and I have eight boards set up and we make up our own rules."

"Eight boards?" Kit exclaimed, "How do you remember all the rules? Keep track of all the pieces?"

"It's not that difficult," Emmett promised, "Tell me a random fact about yourself."

"Random?"

He nodded.

"I named my violin," she said, "You know, how like some people will name their cars?"

"Tell me," he said, smiling, "I won't laugh."

"Nero," she said proudly, "That's his name."

"It's a he?" Emmett was surprised, "You know, every time you open your mouth, I'm caught by surprise."

Kit laughed and they fell silent after that and after awhile, Emmett turned on the radio for background noise and cranked up the heater.

Despite the tense situation earlier, the silence was welcomed and comfortable. They didn't always need to talk and that was something appreciated.

* * *

A few birds squawked in protest when Emmett's booming laugh startled them and they flew away when he laughed again.

"C'mon, Kit," Emmett teased through another laugh, "I thought you were fearless?"

Kit groaned, leaning her head on Emmett's shoulder. He was _never_ going to let her live this down.

After an hour and a half of driving, Emmett had stopped at some sort of park. Hiking, was revealed to be apart of their date and Kit was looking forward to it. She loved hiking and was excited. It was only going to take a little over three miles to get to their destination and that was fine. Everything was great and Kit was enjoying herself.

Until she saw the sign at the two-mile mark. The old piece of wood revealed that they were currently standing over 1,000 feet from when they had started hiking and she had panicked to the point where Emmett had decided to carry her, both in amusement at the situation and worry that she would pass out.

Emmett was still laughing, his hands under Kit's thighs, "It will even out, I promise."

"No, no, no," Kit shook her head from her place on Emmett's back, "Just...tell me when we get there."

"I won't let you fall," Emmett promised when he felt Kit's arms tighten, "So, tell me about this fear?"

"Emmett!"

"If you needed to get something," Emmett started, a grin clear in his voice, "And you climbed on a chair…?"

Kit managed to laugh, "No," she said playfully, "Well, maybe, I don't know. Roller coasters, ferris wheels, bridges, high ladders, stuff like that."

Emmett chuckled, "So, going skydiving for our next date would be out of the question?"

Next date? There would be a next date?

"Yes," Kit finally said, "Out of the question."

"Damn," Emmett sighed, "I should probably call that pilot, then."

"Hopefully you call early enough," Kit responded, "Or you'll have to pay a cancellation fee."

"And wouldn't that be tragic?" Emmett mumbled.

Kit was about to respond, but she was distracted by a sudden movement, "Oh, look at the squirrel!" she cried, "Aww, he's so cute!"

Emmett snickered, "You're weird."

"I know," she quipped, not at all offended, "You are too, though."

"You have no idea..." Emmett breathed.

Kit was about to question him, but she squeaked in surprise when Emmett adjusted his hold on her and she tightened her arms, "Am I heavy?"

Emmett's face held complete disbelief and a bit of offense. Picking Kit up was like picking up a feather—probably less than that.

"Not at all," he promised her, "I could carry you for miles."

"You might have to on the way down," Kit said shakily, burrowing her face in his neck.

"Almost there," Emmett soothed, "We were talking about music earlier. I'm not sure if you're already aware, but my brother, Edward, plays the piano."

"He does?" Kit gasped, "Really?"

"He's extremely talented," Emmett said, "Grew up as a prodigy."

"Wow," Kit eyes widened, "That's amazing."

Emmett continued, stepping over an upturned tree, "Esme—my mom— _really_ loves to hear him play. He's written her a few songs."

"Awww," Kit gushed, "That's sweet. What about your other siblings?"

"Rosalie plays too—a bunch of instruments like Edward, but Edward's better," Emmett snorted, "She'd kill me if she heard me say that. Anyway, they're both into classical. Alice doesn't play many instruments, besides the piano, and Jazz sort of does. He's a Southern guy and has a few guitars up in the attic. He'll play occasionally."

"Hmm," Kit hummed, her eyes now focused on the bright green trees and the animals she could see, "How nice. What about you? Do your parents play?"

"Not much," Emmett shook his head and then stopped walking, "I don't either. Close your eyes."

Kit did as she was told, squeezing them shut. Her body tensed as she tried to focus on her other senses. She could hear birds chirping, squirrels and chipmunks scurrying across the ground. Occasionally, she heard the sound of bugs buzzing.

There was a dip in the ground somewhere and it felt like they were walking downwards, now. Kit's body jostled every time Emmett stepped on a rock or crossed a path that was particularly rough.

"You walk fast," she said, wrapping her arms a little tighter, "Let me know if I'm cutting off your air supply."

He snorted, but didn't bother to slow down his pace, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"How high up are we?" she asked, her voice still shaking.

He shook his head, though she couldn't see him,"Not high," he promised, "I'm taking you lower."

"Okay," she breathed a sigh of relief, scrunching of her nose when he chuckled.

"I'm going to set you down, now," he said gently, "But keep your eyes closed."

She could feel herself being lowered to the ground and she kept one hand on his broad shoulder as she climbed of his back, inhaling sharply when she tripped over a rock. There was a cool breeze coming from somewhere and she could hear birdsongs and whistling from the trees.

Hands on her shoulders caused her to jump in surprise, but she relaxed and soon found herself comforted by it.

"Okay," Emmett said, grinning, "Open."

Kit opened her eyes and after taking a moment to let them adjust to the light, she gasped, a hand going to her mouth.

The scenery she was looking at was something out of a fairytale. She was sure of it.

An eerily dense young hemlock forest surrounded them and the lake was a perfectly formed teardrop, electric blue at its shallow rim and fathomless in the deep. A tall ridge surrounded the lake basin and Kit couldn't imagine being up that high.

"Emmett!" Kit shook her head, "This is—this is...it's amazing! Wow..."

Emmett smiled as Kit tried to stutter out her words of disbelief, "Are you going to go in?"

Kit turned to him, cutting her words off, "Pardon me?"

"Well, I'd take off your shoes and socks first," Emmett gestured to them, "They'll be uncomfortable to walk back in, if they're soaked."

She still looked confused.

"Wild swimming," he finally told her.

"No way!" Kit was beaming and turned back to the lake, "In our clothes?"

Emmett thought of making an inappropriate comment and he was surprised that he hadn't just said it like the unfiltered person he was, but he had already scared Kit once and he had no desire to make her anymore ill at ease.

"In our clothes," he repeated, kicking off his own shoes and socks. He pulled off his shirt, smirking when Kit turned her head away.

"Okay," Kit blushed, pulling off her shoes and socks, "That's fine, that's great."

She removed the backpack from her shoulders, leaning it against the trunk of a nearby tree. She had snuck a peak at Emmett when he had removed his shirt. His body was just as beautiful as his face. His muscles perfectly sculpted and defined, his shoulders broad and stomach toned. He was very well-proportioned and there was a slight glow to his usual pallor.

"Do you want me to go first?" he asked, stepping closer to the edge.

Kit nodded. She didn't swim much and she had never been wild swimming before, but she was a bit nervous and anticipatory at the same time.

She watched as Emmett walked into the water, the clear blue parting as he submerged himself. Not once did he shiver and once he was up to his hips, he dove in with surprising grace.

"Emmett?" Kit called after about a minute. She walked closer, her lip between her teeth, "Emmett!?"

She breathed a sigh of relief when he resurfaced, but he didn't gasp for air like she thought he would. In fact, he looked totally collected as if he had been standing there the whole time.

"Are you okay?" she called.

"Great!" Emmett called back with a grin. He waved her over, "Come on in."

She nodded and walked closer to the edge, dipping a toe in and then her whole foot. She shivered, the water was cold, but tolerable. It would just take sometime to get used to it. The sooner she got it over with the better.

"Okay," she whispered to herself, "You can do this, Kit. It's just water, it's fine. The faster you go under, the warmer-

Her pep talk was cut off by Emmett laughing and she snapped her head up. Could he really hear her from where he was standing? She swore that she had been whispering, but maybe she spoke louder than she thought she did.

Taking another moment to gather her wits, Kit walked into the water, shivers traveling up her spine. She went up to her hips before she stopped, her arms going to wrap around herself. She took in an unsteady breath and dove under. Even under the water, she could hear Emmett laugh. She swore he laughed more than he talked and that was one of the things that she loved about him.

She swam blindly for a few moments before she came back up, gasping for air and brushing the wet hair from her eyes. She smiled, her hands going to skim the tops of the water.

"This is wonderful," she said to herself.

"I'm glad you like it."

A small cry left Kit's lips and she would have fallen with her attempt to turn around if Emmett hadn't steadied her.

"How do you do that?" she demanded, her hands going to rest on his shoulders.

"I'm a fast swimmer," Emmett explained shortly. He grinned, "Did you see the fish?"

"I had my eyes closed," she told him, glancing into the shallows.

"Want to look?" he offered his hand.

She nodded and took a deep breath, letting Emmett pull her under. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and she was shocked at how clear the water was. She could see tiny silver fish swimming around.

A gentle brush against her shoulder caused Kit to move her gaze and she saw Emmett staring at her. Even in the water, his eyes were bright, the butterscotch orbs twinkling.

It was another second until she realized that her lungs were burning and she quickly popped her head back up, drawing in gasping breaths. Once she was okay, she swam a little further away from the shore and dived under, coming back up and brushing the wet hair out of her face once more. It was still too short to be pulled up into a ponytail.

"This is fantastic, Emmett," she turned to face him, reaching up to brush a stray curl back into place atop his own head. Her hand went down to cup his cheek and she smiled shyly, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said sincerely.

Kit cocked her head to the side, debating something. She allowed her eyes to wonder over Emmett's filled out form and then took a deep breath.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" she whispered, trying to quell the shaking of her hands.

Crap.

"Go ahead," Emmett encouraged, "If I can ask you one in return."

"Okay," Kit agreed, "It's been on my mind since we first met..."

She brought her free hand up to his other cheek and passed them down his face, to his neck, past his shoulders, to finally rest on his chest.

"Why are you so cold?"

Emmett closed his eyes, "Not that one," he said seriously, though he made no move to push away Kit's hands, "Not yet."

Kit spared him a curious glance, giving a mournful sigh, "Okay."

Emmett let his eyes open just in time to see Kit bite her lip and furrow her eyebrows. Something else was on her mind.

"Say it," he whispered.

She looked at him and then back at her hands, trailing them back up to his face to rest on his cheeks.

"Alice is like that too," Kit said, a smile twitching her lips, "She hugs me a lot, kisses my cheek and she's cold. Are you all like that?"

Emmett closed his eyes again, "Y-yes," he whispered, "We are."

Kit pursed her lips, her thumbs running over Emmett's cheekbones. She wanted to ask why, to pry for more information, but she didn't want to be nosy or pushy. It wasn't her business and that was rather inappropriate.

"It's pretty," she whispered, tensing slightly when Emmett's hands came to wrap around her own, "Your skin."

Emmett opened his eyes and smiled, gingerly lowering Kit's hands from his face, "Thank you. Now, it's my turn."

Kit tilted her head to the side, waiting. She was eager to know what Emmett's question was.

"What's with the 'not possible' thing?" he asked.

She blinked, "The what?"

"You and your mother," he clarified, "When you leave and say goodbye."

"Ohhhh," she nodded in understanding, "Yes, okay, I know what you're talking about," she shrugged, "We've always done it. You know, it kinds of means that we're both still…. _there_ and okay. Does that make sense?"

Emmett nodded, "What happens if you don't say it?"

Kit blinked, "I've never thought of that before because it never happens," she shrugged, "And hopefully it never will."

"One more," Emmett said quickly, "The locket?"

Kit's hand flew to the old piece of jewelry, her eyes wide. She was so used to having it on, that she had forgotten to take it off before she went into the water.

"It belonged to my grandmother," she told him softly, "She used to wear it all the time and gave it to me a couple of days before she died. I think she knew that she was...going. I'm surprised she didn't give it to my mom, but I-

A cold hand stroking her cheek caused Kit to jump and it wasn't until she blinked a few times, that she realized she had been spacing out, her breathing erratic.

"Take a deep breath," Emmett said gently. He inhaled with her and exhaled, dropping his hand down to Kit's shoulder, "Better?"

Kit nodded slowly, "Loads. I-I'm—sorry about that."

"Don't be," Emmett frowned, "I should be the one apologizing. I didn't realize it was a sensitive topic."

"It's fine," Kit promised. She smiled at him before she ducked under the water.

Emmett sighed, watching her swim. Kit was someone who clearly didn't like to talk about her problems or things that made her sad and he supposed that he could respect that.

He sighed again. He had the perfect opportunity to tell Kit what he was, but he had chickened out at the last minute and wasn't sure if he was disappointed or relieved. Alice would definitely be disappointed.

It was probably best that he decided to wait. He had scared her in the car earlier and he didn't want to add to that. Yes, he was dangerous and she should be afraid of him, but that didn't mean he wasn't trying. He was trying to learn control and he fed constantly—more than Jasper.

When Kit swam back over to him, he brought his own hands to rest on her cheeks. From the time Emmett had spent with Kit, he had gathered that they were both physical people. Preferring light touches (or in his case slaps on the back) instead of words or gifts.

"I've enjoyed this," he told her.

Kit beamed, "Me too! This was great!"

"Besides the heights?" Emmett inquired.

Kit pretended to shudder in horror, "Don't remind me."

"I promise," Emmett laughed, "Our second date will be closer to the ground. No hiking."

"Okay," Kit laughed, "That sounds good."

Emmett stared into Kit's eyes, contemplating, "Stay still, okay?"

"Okay," Kit murmured.

Emmett's eyes trailed over Kit's face, stopping to rest on her lips. He leaned forward and then wavered, moving to the side and pressing a light kiss to the very corner of her mouth. It was quick and brief and when he pulled away, he moved to rest his forehead against hers.

"You can move now," he joked, breathing in her scent.

Kit laughed breathlessly, scrunching up her nose a little. He was grinning at her with a goofy smile that was infectious and her heart did cartwheels in her chest.

Emmett leaned forward again, kissing Kit's cheek this time, "It's starting to get dark and I'm sure you're cold."

"Cold's fine," Kit said absently, her hand going to touch his cheek.

Emmett laughed and wrapped an arm around Kit's shoulders, leading her out of the water, "You'll feel better in dry clothes."

Kit followed Emmett. Her shirt felt heavy and water dripped. Goosebumps were all over her body and dirt and pine needles stuck to the bottoms of her feet.

She was so happy.

"Here," Emmett held out a black towel.

"Thank you," Kit accepted it and began to the process of drying off. Her hair hung in damp strands around her face and she went behind one of the larger trees to change, pulling her shirt over her head.

She changed into a pair of light acid wash high-waisted jeans, and a slouchy oversized black turtleneck sweatshirt. She replaced her socks and shoes after drying her feet and folded the towel up along with her swimming clothes into a plastic zip lock bag before placing it in her backpack.

She felt warm despite the chill in the air and she ran a hand through her hair, reappearing from behind the tree to see that Emmett had changed into a pair of jeans and a navy shirt.

"I have something else for you," Emmett pulled another zip lock bag out of his backpack and held it out.

Kit frowned, inspecting the package. She turned it over in her hands, looking at the back, the sides, and even turning the bag upside down. She squeezed it. It was some sort of white cushy fabric.

"It's your sweater," Emmett said, "The white one you got coffee on."

"Oh," Kit gasped, "Oh my gosh, it is! Wow, it looks whiter than when I first found it."

"Alice works wonders," Emmett explained.

"Thank you!" Kit threw her arms around Emmett, laughing when he picked her up and spun her around, "This is the best!"

"Thank Alice," Emmett told her, setting her down, "She's the one who did it."

"I will," Kit promised, placing the sweater gingerly into her bag. She was beaming, "I definitely will."

She smiled wider when Emmett intertwined their fingers, beginning their trek back toward the Jeep.

"Are you okay with this?" he asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Mhm," she nodded. She didn't feel like they were moving too fast and she would definitely tell him if he had done something that she didn't like. He had only kissed her cheek and the corner of her mouth. She was fine with that. Her heart fluttered every time he looked at her and she was starting to trust him. Though, her curiosity had definitely been peaked with some of the odd comments that he made, she wasn't going to push him. He would tell her when he was ready.

It was when the hills started to ascent that Emmett felt Kit's hand tighten in his. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over the back of her hands and looked over at her.

"Do you want me to carry you?" he asked, his lips twitching.

She snickered and met his eyes. She could see the sign signaling the third mile coming up and she was terrified to see what it said.

"You wouldn't let me fall?" she asked in a mock-disdain voice.

Emmett stopped walking and suddenly, his eyes were so full of love and emotion, it made Kit's breath catch.

"Never," he promised.

* * *

Willa laughed, twirling the white phone cord around her finger. She didn't have a cellphone, but she did have her own line.

"He _seriously_ carried you!?" she laughed again.

" _Yes_!" Kit cried defensively, " _I sort of tried to play it off_ , _but then my legs started shaking and I couldn't walk_. _It was scary_ , _but once we got there it was amazing_! _Willa_ , _it was_ _ **so**_ _pretty_!"

"You swam the whole time?" Willa asked, frowning, "That doesn't sound very romantic."

" _Was it supposed to be_?" Kit asked, perplexed, " _Isn't the first date supposed to be about getting to know each other_?"

Willa snorted, "Well, did you?"

" _Yes_ ," Kit said slowly, " _We talked about our families a lot_."

"My 'Kit has a secret' senses are tingling," Willa said teasingly, "Did something happen?"

" _No_ ," Kit gave a content sigh, " _Kind of_ , _but everything was great_ , _really_. _I like Emmett_. _A lot_ , _Willa_."

Willa hummed, "That's good. He likes you too."

" _How do you know_?" Kit sounded surprised.

Willa rolled her eyes, scoffing, "It's obvious. Don't you see the way he looks at you? Don't worry, Kit, everything's great. You guys are great."

Kit laughed nervously, " _Thank you_... _but I'm awkward_."

"That's okay," Willa promised, "It seems like you two balance each other out."

"... _I suppose_ ," Kit agreed after a moment.

Willa smiled. She was happy for her new friend. Kit deserved a guy like Emmett. She deserved to be happy and to have someone who kept an eye out for her and loved her the way that Willa knew Emmett already did. It was so obvious and she couldn't wait for the day that Kit realized that.

"Can I ask you something?" Willa asked, picking at the phone cord.

" _Of course_ ," Kit chirped, " _What is it_?"

Willa lowered her voice to a whisper, knowing that her parents were in the other room, "Did you tell him? Emmett, I mean. Did you tell him about-

" _No_!" Kit hissed, " _Of course not_!"

"Kit," Willa groaned. She sighed, "Why not?"

" _Because I wasn't going to ruin our date_ ," Kit told her, " _And I_ — _I just don't want to talk about it_."

Willa sighed louder, making her irritation known. Kit always said the same thing: 'I just don't want to talk about it.' She saw the glares in the hallway and the snide comments that Lauren and her clique coughed out. Willa heard the laughter and the name-calling. She constantly debated about telling someone, but she didn't want to make it worse for Kit, knowing that Lauren would assume that the brunette had told.

" _Are you coming over to work on our project_ , _tomorrow_?" Kit asked.

Willa pursed her lips at the change of subject, but held her tongue.

"Yeah," she said in a clipped tone, "After school, right?"

" _Yes_ ," Kit said, " _And you can stay for dinner_ , _then the sleepover on Friday until Sunday to finish it up_?"

"Perfect!" Willa grinned, her Indian accent thick with excitement, "Sounds like a plan."

" _Great_ ," Kit sounded a lot happier, " _See you_ , _tomorrow_."

"Bye, Kit."

" _Bye_ , _Willa_."

Willa hung up the phone and rolled over, pulling her muddy orange comforter over her body. She was worried about Kit, but the girl looked to be doing okay. She still kept her head held up and she didn't let the tears fall. As far as Willa knew, Kit still had all 'A's in her classes and she still laughed and smiled.

Yes, things were going to be okay. Willa was sure of it.


	8. A Lonely Speaker In A Conversation

Rosalie hid herself well in the dark green leaves of the tall tree, being able to see the stupid girl with easiness. She narrowed her eyes as she watched, unsure of what the human was doing.

" _You have to sit really still_ ," Kit said quietly to who Rosalie assumed to be Indigo, " _They won't come if you're not still_."

Rosalie gagged at the smell coming from the round tin cans that Kit had opened and she brought her hand up to cover her nose. What was Kit going to do? Eat that? Rosalie knew the girl was weird, but not _this_ weird. What kind of mortal would eat something that smelled so repulsive?

" _Now_ , _what_?" Indigo demanded.

Kit placed a finger to her lips, and took a seat on the porch step, " _Wait_. _Patience_ , _sweetheart_."

Rosalie couldn't help but simper at that. Sweetheart. Kit had called Indigo sweetheart. It had been in a loving and motherly tone. So, Kit liked kids? She was a caretaker and Alice had said something about Kit loving her little sister more than anything.

Ugh, Rosalie had half a mind to punch Alice in the face. She loved her sister, but Rosalie was tired of hearing about the two human girls all the time. They had other things to worry about.

A breeze blew and Rosalie gagged again at the odd smell coming from below. What the hell was that?

And then Rosalie saw them. Cats. Stray cats, to be more specific. There were only two of them, but they were meowing and purring as they hesitantly approached the cans, sniffing them as they did so. Oh, it was cat food.

" _Kitty_ , _look_!" Indigo gasped.

For a second, Rosalie thought the small child was talking to the cats, but then Kit nodded and gestured to Indigo to be quiet again.

Kit actually responded to that stupid nickname!? The name of some annoying house pet? It was worse than when Emmett called her 'Rosie'.

" _See the orange one_?" Kit pointed, " _She's Alani and the gray one_? _He's Ashes_."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. Alani and Ashes? Great, more foolish names.

" _Can we keep them_?" Indigo begged, bouncing on the step.

" _No_ ," Kit shook her head, " _You know daddy's allergic_. _In fact_ , _we'll probably have to shower after we go in or he'll be sneezing all night and then mom will be crabby_."

Indigo sighed, leaning her head against Kit's shoulder, " _Okay_ ," she was clearly disappointed.

Kit laughed softly, " _Why don't you try for a dog_? _That sounds more reasonable_. _Hurry_ , _look, Indi_! _They're coming closer_."

"What are you doing?"

Rosalie jumped at the sudden feeling of calm that washed over her causing a hiss to escape her throat as she twisted on the branch to face her brother.

"What the hell are _you_ doing!?" she shot back, "You shouldn't be here!"

"And you should?" Jasper countered.

"Ha!" Rosalie glared, "Unlike you, I have self-control."

Jasper didn't react, having heard that one before, and the smirk he offered made Rosalie want to rip his head off.

"Are you done with your tantrum?" he asked casually.

"What are you doing here?" Rosalie repeated, her mild annoyance returning.

"Alice sent me," Jasper kept his voice low, "She had a vision. Emmett's leaving after school, tomorrow. You should have waited until then."

"He can't stay mad at me," Rosalie said, "It's all show."

"That's his mate," Jasper said seriously, "You know he'd never get over it if you-

Rosalie snarled loudly and she could see the cats scatter out of her peripheral vision as well as hear Indigo crying out in dissatisfaction.

"How _dare_ you even _suggest_ that I would do something to hurt Emmett," she was shaking with rage and was sure that she could see red, "Don't. Ever—you-

The calm returned. Stronger this time and Rosalie relaxed, feeling a warm hand on her shoulder to keep her steady.

" _They left_!" Indigo cried, " _Come back_ , _cats_!"

" _Something must have spooked them_ ," Kit placed her hand on Indigo's head, " _Don't worry_ , _sweetheart_ , _we'll feed them again_ , _tomorrow if it doesn't rain_."

Jasper's eyes were alight with curiosity, but he turned his attention back to his 'twin', "Do you have plans to spy on Bella as well?"

"No," Rosalie said, still calm, "I hate her."

Jasper's eyes widened a fraction, surprised at the bluntness. Both in the car and at home, Alice had practically screamed with excitement, bouncing off the walls and hugging Edward. He had talked to Bella. After over a month of torturing himself, Edward had finally spoken to the human girl.

It eased Jasper's pain because Edward's emotions had become more positive whether or not he was aware of it—and that made Jasper's life easier, made him less snappy and irritable.

Though he didn't understand Rosalie's overwhelming hatred for Bella. When they had the family meeting about the brunette, killing had been the ultimate solution for Rosalie, but when it had come to Kit, Rosalie had only been upset and snappy. She had destroyed part of Esme's kitchen, but she hadn't been murderous like Jasper had thought she would be. In fact, an undertone of surprise and happiness had been intertwined with Rosalie's emotions.

He had even questioned Emmett about Rosalie's strange behavior when they had been playing video games, but Emmett had laughed like always and shrugged, claiming that only Rosalie and Edward had the answer to why their relationship was so strained and why Rosalie hated Bella so much.

The only thing Jasper found out was that Emmett had gotten Rosalie's word that she'd be nice to Kit and Emmett was satisfied with that.

However, when Jasper regarded the entire situation that his brothers were in, he wasn't sure how to feel when he tapped in to his own emotions. He was happy for his brothers because they had found their mates, but like Rosalie, he was worried about their secret being exposed. Two humans would know about them and that was two too many. Sure, he and Rose could easily kill them if it became necessary, but that didn't stop the over protectiveness of his wife. This was a risk and he didn't want Alice to be any part of it, but it seemed like that was inevitable as she constantly referred to Kit and Bella as her best friends and even spoke with Kit on a daily basis, since Emmett had given her permission.

No matter what, he could never cause Alice distress or sadness. So, he had agreed to let both girls live.

" _Indi_ , _come back here_!"

Kit's frantic voice snapped Jasper out of his thoughts and he turned his head to see the girl walk down the steps, her face full of worry.

" _Kitty_ , _I want to find them_!" Indigo called, " _Please_? _Come on_."

Rosalie huffed in irritation as Kit chased after her sister. Rosalie's plan had been to watch the girl for awhile, in hopes to see what Emmett found so appealing about her, but it was not in her plan, to follow Kit around Forks.

"I'm going home," she declared, "This was a waste of my time."

Jasper arched a single eyebrow when Rosalie failed to move and he listened intently to make sure that Kit and her sister were all right. He had yet to introduce himself to Kit properly. Maybe that was due to his surprise. Emmett was taking this whole 'human mate' thing a lot better than Edward was.

"He loves her," Jasper said, glancing at Rosalie to gauge her reaction, "Did you know that?"

Rosalie shrugged it off, only it was obvious that she cared, "It was going to happen eventually," she sighed, "Does she at least return Emmett's feelings?"

"I..." Jasper hesitated, frowning, "Yes, I think so. The love she has is almost overwhelming….kind of like Esme. It's hard to filter, but yes, she loves him. She just hasn't admitted it, yet. Then again, neither has he."

" _Indi_?" came Kit's voice again, " _Come on_ , _I mean it_. _Willa's coming over soon_ — _gotcha_!"

A shriek of laughter could be heard and Kit came into view again, carrying her sister on her back.

" _You little stinker_ ," Kit grumbled, " _You're lucky I can run in heels_."

"Emmett had to carry her on their date, yesterday," Jasper said amusingly, "She's afraid of heights."

Rosalie didn't respond, her eyes still trained on Kit. She didn't see anything fascinating about Kit. She wasn't that pretty, she laughed too much, she had too many freckles, her eyes were way too green, her breasts were small, and she clearly had nothing better to do than hang around with eight-year-old children.

" _Willa's sleeping over_ , _tomorrow_?" Indigo asked, playing with Kit's hair.

Kit nodded, ducking under a tree branch, " _Mhm_. _Just us_ , _though_. _We have homework to finish and I don't want you eavesdropping_. _It's not polite_."

Indigo didn't look convinced and the smile she wore was mischievous, " _Are you going to talk about Emmett_?" she enunciated his name.

Jasper couldn't help but smile at the emotions the two girls were projecting. The look on Kit's face was priceless, especially when Indigo started to make kissing noises. Rosalie scoffed again and folded her arms across her chest.

Kit, however, rolled her eyes in response to her sister, " _You would like to know_ , _wouldn't you_?"

" _Tell me_ , _tell me_ , _tell me_!" Indigo begged.

" _Willa might ask_ , _but I have nothing else to tell her_ ," Kit said simply.

Indigo leaned her cheek against the back of Kit's neck, " _Well_ , _then_ , _is he going to come over again_?"

Kit gave an embarrassed sigh and she shook her head, " _No more boy talk_ , _you're too young for this_."

" _Am not_!" Indigo exclaimed.

" _Yes_ , _you are_ ," Kit said firmly, " _No more_. _Down_ , _now_. _Let's go inside_ , _I'll help you with your math_."

" _Ugh_ , _I hate math_!" Indigo groaned, stomping up the stairs.

" _Ugh_ , _I know_ , _it's the worst_!" Kit mimicked, following her sister inside, " _Kitchen table_ , _young lady and I suggest you change your attitude_."

" _Ugh_!"

" _That's not it_ , _but keep trying_!" Kit shouted, sound vaguely annoyed, " _Kitchen table_."

"Hmm," Rosalie hummed when the door shut. She narrowed her black eyes as another gust of wind blew. She would need to hunt soon.

"What?" Jasper asked, "You're less irritated."

"She's not attractive," Rosalie said, "And those freckles?"

"That's her skin," Jasper scoffed.

"Whatever," Rosalie mumbled, "She's ugly."

Jasper shot her a look. Rosalie was the most beautiful woman in the world and she knew it. She could turn the heads of blind men with her beauty that had been magnified with her transformation. It was rude of her to say that Kit wasn't pretty.

He straightened up on the tree branch,"My job is done. I would suggest hunting before you return to the house."

"Tonight," Rosalie promised. She met his eyes, "You okay?"

"I went with Al, yesterday," Jasper reminded her, "But we'll all go, next week. It will be sunny."

Rosalie was smiling at the thought of herself sparkling in the sun. Though she detested being a vampire, she'd spend hours looking at her blinding reflection in a nearby stream, "Great."

"Let's go, then," Jasper suggested, "Esme will start to worry."

Rosalie's mood turned sour again, no doubt thinking of the main cause of Esme's worry these days: Edward.

He had sat with that other stupid human at lunch and had even drove Bella home after she had fainted like some sort of damsel in biology class. Once Rosalie had gotten in the car, she had cursed him out in her head and glowered at Edward the whole way home.

It didn't help her mood that she had seen Kit skipping like she had no care in the world, her hand clutched in Emmett's as he walked at a slow pace to keep up with her. But at least Emmett had made a decision, he was accepting his future and had decided to keep the secret until further notice, Edward was just messing things up by leaping in front of cars, going back and forth, and giving cryptic answers.

"Jackass," she mumbled, before darting off, Jasper in front of her.

* * *

"...And you're sure you're all right?" Kit frowned, picking at the phone cord. She had heard in gym that Bella had fainted earlier in biology. Something about blood. Mike had rushed through the words before he began to talk about the girl's choice dance, dropping not so subtle hints that Kit should ask him.

" _Yes_ ," Bella promised, " _I'm fine_ , _now_. _It happens_ , _sometimes_ , _but Edward drove me home_."

Kit smiled. She could hear the blush in Bella's voice and she had seen the two sitting together at lunch. Bella liked Edward, that much was evident as Bella had mentioned him quite a few times while they talked on the phone or walked together to a class they shared.

"If you say so," Kit didn't sound convinced, "I should leave you to rest, Willa's upstairs and I'm supposed to be helping her with our project."

" _Okay_ ," Bella said, " _Thanks for calling to check-in_. _I'll see you_ , _tomorrow_."

"Mhm," Kit promised, "Bye, Bella."

" _Bye_."

Kit hung up the phone first and as soon as she had done so, she rushed up the stairs to her mother's art room where she found Willa sitting on her mother's stool.

Willa flipped through the pieces of lined paper and looked up when she heard footsteps, "How many do we need to have?"

"It's supposed to be one entry for each day in a month," Kit said, walking closer, "Half of them should be done. How many is—oh, fourteen. We should have fourteen."

"Okay, yeah," Willa nodded, "We do."

Their English project was simple: take a character from The Great Gatsby and create diary entries. Then, they had to write a poem based on their feelings throughout the book. Willa and Kit had been assigned Daisy Fay Buchanan.

"I found this how-to website," Kit took a seat and clicked open a window on the computer, "We can make the paper look old by baking it in tea or even coffee."

Willa made a face, leaning in closer, "Is that sanitary?"

"I would think so," Kit said, scrolling, "We don't need that much of it."

"Okay," Willa agreed, "But we should use blank paper—printer paper. I'll do some, tonight. Email me the link?"

Kit was already doing so, having signed into her email on the family desktop computer that was located upstairs in her mother's art room.

A sharp intake of breath caused Willa to look up from the papers that she had been shifting through. Seeing the paleness of Kit's face and that she made no move to stop her, Willa leaned closer and peered at the screen, but before she could get a good look at the email, Kit closed the window.

"Hey!" Willa protested, "What was that?"

"It was a spam email," Kit told her. She pushed away from the desk and stood up, "I'll go get printer paper and preheat the oven. If you look in my bag, there should be more of the diary entries. I was working on them, last night."

Willa made a big show of grabbing Kit's bag, "Okay. They're in your English journal?"

Kit opened the door and nodded, "Yes, the red one."

Willa found it with ease and flipped it open, but as soon as she heard Kit's footsteps descending down the stairs, she practically jumped into the abandoned chair, clicking open a new internet window.

"Someone forgot to clear their internet history and sign out," she sang quietly to herself, easily finding the page. She clicked open the email.

' _Nice outfit_ , _who picked it out_ , _your grandmother_. _Oh wait_ , _she's dead_. _Haha_. _Dumb bitch_.'

Willa's eyes widened at the email, then she frowned. There were at least five others, all under the same Yahoo! email address.

"Are you kidding me?" Willa whispered.

This was an invasion of privacy. A huge invasion and Willa knew that, but she had seen the look on Kit's face and was able to put two and two together. The look on Kit's face, had been the same look she had when she got a text message or saw Lauren in the hallway.

Now, Willa wasn't stupid and she knew better to get involved in others people's business, but this was different. This was her best friend.

Willa didn't bother to close the email, not even ten minutes later when she heard Kit's heels coming back up the stairs and down the hallway.

"Sorry I took so long," Kit said, "The oven took six minutes an—why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's on the computer, now?" Willa asked, gesturing to the screen.

Kit's mouth flew open and she floundered for words before she stomped her foot, much like she had seen Indigo do, but it didn't have the right effect like she had hoped. She had wanted to come off as angry and furious, but she just wasn't an angry person.

"Tha—you went through my email?" she questioned softly, "Why would you do something like that?"

"I didn't have to go through it," Willa countered in the same soft tone, "There's so many of them. Why would you not show anyone this? Look at you, you're almost in tears or have you already been crying?"

Kit was agape and then she went forward, moving the emails to a different folder. She cleared her history and shut down the computer.

"I found printer paper downstairs," Kit said, "And the oven should be ready. What kind of tea should we use?"

Willa could tell that Kit was trying to lighten the situation by changing the subject, but it wasn't working.

"I don't understand why you won't talk about it," Willa pushed.

"I—Willa," Kit sighed, her tone pleading, "Can we talk about this later?"

Later would never come. Willa knew that and she knew that Kit knew she knew that. So, Willa wasn't sure why they used this code. It was never going to be talked about for whatever personal reasons Kit had. Perhaps she was just someone who didn't like to talk about her problems. Maybe Kit had some other coping skill. At least, Willa hoped she did, but whether she liked it or not, Willa had to leave it alone. If Kit didn't want to talk about it, then that was that.

"You know I'm here, though?" Willa asked, "If you ever want to talk?"

Now, Kit looked sad, "Yes," she promised, "I'm sorry, it's not you Willa—

"It's me," Willa said at the same time Kit did.

"Yes," Kit nodded, a small smile on her face, "Exactly."

Willa looked Kit up and down, her eyes narrowing. Because Kit didn't talk about it, Willa didn't know much of the situation between her friend and Lauren. Besides the incident with the coffee and occasional name-calling in the hallway, the email was the first thing that Willa had actually seen between the two. Actual physical evidence that their was something going on.

"Are you coming?" Kit called from the doorway, "We have a lot to do."

"Yeah," Willa grabbed the journal and the other things they would need, "I'm coming."

She followed Kit to the kitchen where she saw a cookie sheet laid out on the counter and a small stack of white printer paper.

"Now what?" Willa asked, flipping through the paper. She was still irritated about the deflection.

Kit shrugged, beginning to fill a saucepan with water before she placed it on the stove, "Make tea, pour in the pan with paper, and then we wait."

"Sounds simple enough," Willa leaned her elbows on the counter, picking at the piece of rust on the cookie sheet, deciding to cheer Kit up and she knew the perfect way to do it.

Willa sighed, a loud and dramatic sound, "So..."

"Oh, Willa!" Kit groaned, throwing her head back, "Please, don't."

"Shut up!" Willa laughed, her grin mischievous, "You can read my mind now?"

"No," Kit rolled her eyes playfully, "I just know you."

"Are you going to ask Emmett to the dance, then?" Willa teased. She wasn't much for gossip, either, but she was curious.

Kit frowned and bit her lip, through a smile, "I'm not sure. I haven't thought about it, to be honest. Are you going to ask anyone?"

"I'm a snob when it comes to school dances," Willa shrugged almost carelessly, "It's a habit I'm trying to break."

Kit looked at her friend, her eyes wide. Willa was such a sweetheart, far from a snob. She kept her (head) held high, but she was quiet and reserved when it came to school unless she was laughing or with her friends. Kit couldn't imagine Willa being stuck-up or thinking that she was better than people.

"I'm not quite understanding," Kit admitted, covering the pan with a lid, "What do you mean? You're not a snob."

Willa shifted her weight and began to pick the rust out of her nails, "It's bad..."

Kit glanced at Willa and went to the counter, beginning to place the pieces of paper on the cookie sheet, "Oh?"

Willa flicked her eyes up and scowled, "I hate it when you do that."

"Sorry," Kit smiled apologetically, "I don't want to push you," Kit said, "But, okay. Tell me, then."

Willa gave a dramatic sigh, "I'm a dancer," she began to explain, "And I plan to do it professionally, so, unless I'm dancing with another experienced dancer, then I have no desire to go with someone with no dance background—unless I really like someone, but I haven't met someone like that, yet. Anyway, I get really snippy and super intense and I just want to push everyone away and dance by myself."

"Interesting," Kit said, unconcerned by the confession, "That makes sense."

Willa stared at Kit, "It does?"

"Doesn't it?" Kit asked, "If you're a professional, I'm sure you're very picky and anxious about it. I mean, it's your life, your future career. Sure, it sounds a little intense, but..." Kit trailed off with a shrug and giggled, "It's kind of funny."

"I guess," Willa snickered, watching Kit take the water off the stove before she added a bunch of teabags, "Are you going to do it professionally?"

Kit looked at her, clearly confused, "Do what?"

"The violin?" Willa said this like it was obvious, "Duh."

"Oh," Kit blinked, "Most likely, but if not, I think I'd study to become an art therapist or do something in the medical field."

"Huh," Willa mumbled, "But violin, most likely?"

"95%," Kit promised.

"Julliard?"

There was a lilt of hope behind Willa's accent and Kit nodded as she poured the tea into the cookie sheet. Already knowing what Willa was getting at, Kit grinned widely, "We could go to Julliard, together."

"That would be amazing," Will said almost dreamily, "We'd wreak havoc all over campus."

Kit snorted sarcastically, placing the cookie sheet in the oven, "Right. A classical violinist and a ballerina. People would be shaking in their shoes."

Willa laughed, "Do you want to be a dear and help me with my math homework? Please?"

"Sure," Kit nodded, "We can do that while waiting for the paper to be done. Are you hungry? Do you want anything?"

"No, thank you," Willa said, heading over to the kitchen table.

Kit looked at the clock hanging above the doorway, "My parents should be home soon and they'll have food with them."

Willa pulled out her textbook, "Okay. Hey, how are your grades?"

"All 'A's, I think," Kit said self-consciously, "You?"

Willa huffed, debating whether or not to break her pencil in half "'A's in everything, now, but history. I stink, but aren't you good at it?"

Kit hesitated with her answer. She didn't know if she was necessarily good at history. She just liked it.

"I can help," she offered, "Are you good at math?"

"Embarrassingly so," Willa said without hesitation, "I can help."

Kit laughed, "We make a good team, then. I tried to help Indi yesterday and it was a disaster."

After that, the two fell silent, occasionally breaking it to lend help and offer assistance.

A warm and herbal smell started to fill the house and Kit made a pleasured sound, her body relaxing, "I'll check on the paper."

She got up and opened the oven, wincing when the heat hit her face. She grabbed the potholders from the counter and took the tray out, setting it atop to stove to cool.

"Willa, come look at this," she encouraged with a smile, "It looks cool."

Willa placed her pencil down and got up from her chair, going over to stand beside Kit.

The paper had turned a light brown color and poking at it, revealed a crispy and wrinkled texture.

"We'll have to be careful writing," Willa said, "It looks fragile."

"And I don't think pencil will show up," Kit added, "So, pen?"

"Black," Willa nodded.

"Okay," Kit agreed, "If we finish baking the paper, now and both write the entries on them, tonight, then we can start on the poem on Friday and have the rest of the weekend."

Though she was someone who preferred staying in on the weekends, Kit was still a teenager who wasn't too fond of homework and she had a habit of procrastinating, but it had gotten better.

"Sounds perfect," Willa smiled, pouring the rest of the tea into the pan. She looked up, startled when Kit had jumped, "Are you okay? I didn't accidentally splash you, did I?"

"No," Kit shook her head, "I forgot one of my books upstairs. Be right back."

She walked quickly out of the room and back upstairs, her hand falling to the pocket of her skirt. She had jumped because her phone had vibrated, catching her by surprise and sometimes, she couldn't even get away with keeping it on vibrate if it rang too much.

She slipped into the bathroom and closed the door, pulling out her phone once she had done so. She had one unread text message.

' _U make everyone's life miserable_. _No one wants you here_. _Drop dead_.'

Kit closed the text message and returned the phone to pocket, taking a deep breath and willing herself not to cry.


	9. How Did We End Up As Enemies?

Emmett wasn't at school on Friday, but Kit had expected that. He had informed her the day before that he and Edward were going camping in the Goat Rock Wilderness for the weekend. He had dropped her off at home, kissed the top of her head much to her surprise, and bid her a nice weekend with a wide grin before he took off.

Though she was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be at school, there was still a pep in her step as she walked alongside Bella; a small smile on her face.

Kit wore a black puffed short sleeve tie knit stretch top, tucked into a vibrant mint green high-waisted circle swing skirt with micro black dots and a black faux button front. On her feet, she wore a pair of black kitten heels with black bows on the toe and a simple mint green bow in her hair.

"I'm really glad you're feeling better," she said, looking at the other brunette.

Bella blushed, "Thank you. Were you able to finish that project?"

Kit shook her head, "Willa and I are hoping to finish it, today. We need to do the poem and then we're all set."

"Great," Bella sounded sincere, "Let me know if you guys need help. I've read _The Great Gatsby_ before."

"Thanks," Kit beamed.

"Bella!"

Kit closed her eyes for just a second, taking in a shaky breath when she reopened them. The forced-perky voice of Jessica only got louder as the curly-haired girl approached, calling Bella's name again.

"Hey, Jess," Bella greeted with a smile.

"Hi," Jessica grinned, the expression faltering when she saw Kit, "Hi, Kit."

"Hello," Kit whispered, clutching the strap of her bag.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Jessica questioned, looking around the parking lot. Her eyes found the shiny silver Volvo and she frowned at the lack of Cullen's she saw, "Emmett's not here, today?"

"No, he's not," Kit said quietly, not bothering to correct Jessica on the status of her and Emmett's relationship. There was no point. Whatever she said didn't matter to her.

"Too bad," Jessica whined, but then she perked up, "Hey, Lauren's been looking for you. I think she wanted to ask you something? I don't know, but she told me or Katie to tell you, but I found you first! So, I win!" she giggled.

The unbelievably cheerful tone in Jessica's voice made Kit want to start crying and she could feel her throat tighten. Was this their plan? To pretend to be Kit's friends in front of other people to cover up what was really happening? It would have been better if they just ignored her. In fact, Ashley had even let Kit borrow a pencil when Kit had forgotten hers, but had called her a 'stupid whore' later that day as she shoved her aside.

"Um, I'll see you later, Kit," Bella called as Jessica dragged her away towards another building, no doubt wanting to question her about the blood-typing the day before.

"Okay," Kit whispered, though she knew she wasn't heard.

Jessica had said that Lauren was looking for her. What did that mean? What did the blonde want? Kit tried her best to stay out of the popular girl's way. She never spoke to her or even looked at Lauren if Kit could help it. It only caused more problems, but it seemed that she was out of luck either way.

"Hey there, girly!"

Kit managed a small smile when Willa grabbed her arm,"Hi, Willa, good morning. You're here early."

"Am I?" Willa looked around the parking lot, "Huh. Well, I did need to turn in a late assignment. Want to come?"

"Because we're not going to see enough of each other this weekend?" Kit asked.

"I know," Willa bemoaned, "You're stuck with me for _two_ whole days."

"I don't know how I'm going to get through the weekend," Kit said in the same dramatic tone.

"Come on," Willa snickered, tugging lightly on Kit's arm, "To the History building, we go."

"But that's my first class," Kit protested, "You can give me your assignment and I'll hand it in for you."

Willa looked at Kit, appalled, "You'd do that?"

Kit nodded, "Of course."

The black-haired girl looked at Kit for a moment before she smiled and handed over the sheet of paper, "Thanks, Kit."

"You're welcome," Kit squeezed Willa's shoulder, "See you in second hour and did you get your half done?"

Willa grinned, "Finished it before breakfast, this morning and I have some ideas for the poem."

"Great, me too," Kit smiled and waved, "I'll go hand this in, now."

"K," Willa wiggled her fingers before she took her leave.

Kit adjusted the strap on her bag as she headed off towards the right building. She was excited for the sleepover. Willa was starting to become one of her best friends (besides Indigo and Everly, of course) and that was a new experience for her. Different. Indigo seemed to like Willa and that's what really mattered to Kit. The little girl liked Emmett too and that made Kit feel both happy and relieved. Indigo was Kit's first priority and Kit would give her life for her sister. She'd give her life for all three of her family members.

The door to Mr. Jefferson's room was closed and Kit paused outside, unsure if there was a teacher or another student in the classroom having a private discussion. She tried to peer in the small window and could only see the back of someone's head and hear muffled voices.

After two minutes, the bell rang, signaling the passing period to get to class and just as Kit was about to go in, the door to the history classroom opened.

"Thank you _so_ much, Mr. Jefferson," Lauren said, "I _really_ appreciate it."

Ashley and Katie snickered and then narrowed their eyes almost simultaneously when they saw Kit, holding her gaze as they left the classroom.

"Oh," Lauren gasped in false surprise and held the door open, "Hey, Kit," she grinned, gesturing for her to enter the classroom, "I didn't know that this was your first class. Go ahead, go on."

"Yeah," Ashley sang, smiling warmly, "Go ahead, Kit. You have to get to class or you'll be _late_ ," she said this in a baby voice.

Kit gnawed her lower lip, wincing when Ashley gave her a small push. Seeing that other students were starting to eye them or wait for her to go in, Kit walked forward, unable to hold in her gasp when Lauren stuck her foot out, tripping Kit and sending her sprawling to the ground.

"Ms. Algren?" came Mr. Jefferson's worried voice.

"Awww," Ashley cooed, "She fell. Did you see that, Kaite? Poor thing..."

Katie nodded stiffly, her eyes trained on the floor.

"Oh my gosh, Kit!" Lauren cried, rushing to her side, "I'm really sorry, I'm _so_ sorry!"

Kit managed to push herself up on her knees and she looked up at Lauren who held a hand out.

"I'm really sorry," Lauren continued, wiggling her fingers. She shook her head, "I didn't mean to. Here, need help up?"

Kit nodded slowly, unsure if Mr. Jerfferson was still watching or not. Just as she reached for Lauren's hand, the blonde snatched it away.

"Yeah, right," Lauren snapped quietly, while the girls behind her laughed, "Bitch," she whispered.

"She's fine, Mr. Jefferson," Ashley poked her head back into the classroom, "I guess that's what happens when you wear heels to school and can't walk in them. It's tricky."

"Mhm," Mr. Jefferson hummed boredly as he shuffled some papers on his desk.

Kit sighed and smoothed out Willa's paper that she had accidentally crushed in her fist. She went into a crouched position, then pushed herself up to stand, fixing the way she stood in her shoes. She brushed off her skirt and jumped when the door closed. She could still hear the girls laughing.

Her hands were shaking as she approached Mr. Jefferson's desk and she placed the piece of paper on it, "Sir, this is Willa Korai's late assignment. I told her I'd give it to you," she spoke quietly, keeping her eyes trained elsewhere.

"Thank you, Ms. Algren," Mr. Jefferson placed the paper atop the others.

More students began to trickle into the classroom and Kit shuffled to her seat. She had been surprised when she saw Katie leave with Lauren considering that history was the redhead's first period, but Katie managed to stumble in just as the final bell rang, taking her seat and looking out of breath.

"How nice of you to join us, Ms. Marshall," Mr. Jefferson quipped sarcastically as he handed out worksheets, "A second later and you would have had another tardy on your record."

Katie grumbled under her breath, scrawling her name atop the paper. She had walked Lauren to class with Ashley and had met Jessica halfway. Katie had practically ran to class so that she wasn't late again.

"Please turn to section six," Mr. Jefferson instructed, "That is where you'll find the answers to the worksheet in front of you. It is due by the end of the class. You may work with partners if you wish, otherwise, no talking."

Kit flipped open to the correct page and began to work immediately. She crossed her legs under the desk, wincing when her knee brushed against the underside of the old wood. Her knees were probably bruised and she was glad that had worn a skirt that went past them even though the weather was slightly warmer. Almost sixty.

When the bell rang forty-five minutes later, Kit took her time putting her things away, waiting for Katie to leave before she did. There was no doubt that Ashley or someone was waiting for the redhead to exit the classroom and Kit had no desire to run into them again as she already had all of the girls in at least one of her classes.

"Fat bitch," Katie whispered as she passed Kit's desk.

That was a new one.

Kit sighed heavily and she tried not to think about the name-calling. She always tried to keep her thoughts on her parents, her sister, or even her violin, but that had become harder lately and she found herself thinking about—well, herself and all the text messages, shoving, and name-calling. She always managed to squelch the thoughts before she could start feeling down and that worked...most of the time. Night time was harder. She didn't have any distraction from her thoughts at night as everyone was sleeping.

She was able to get to Algebra without any further incident and seeing Willa at her desk, made her smile. Kit went over and sat in the abandoned chair.

"I turned in your assignment," she said.

"Great, thank you," Willa smiled, "How was class?"

"Worksheets, today," Kit told her, "Section six. Partners are optional."

"Oh, I hate those," Willa complained, "See? That's when I start falling asleep."

Kit chuckled, "At least you stay awake enough to keep your grade at an 'A'."

"'B+'" Willa corrected.

"I turned in your assignment, remember?" Kit asked, "Shouldn't it go up?"

Willa shrugged, "Check after school?"

"Mhm," Kit agreed, standing from the chair when she saw someone approach the desk, "We'll talk later."

"Okay," Willa place her cheek in her hand and began drawing loops in the corner of her notebook with her pencil.

* * *

"Cullen's not here?"

Kit turned her head. She had been about to shoot the basketball with hopes of it going through the net, but the expectant voice had stopped her from doing so.

"No," Kit said to Mike, "He's not."

"Oh," Mike seemed relieved by this, but he was surprised by the short tone. Usually, Kit greeted him with with a warm smile.

He tried again, "So, you two are dating, then?"

Kit frowned at that, unsure of how to answer. She didn't want to say the wrong thing and mess things up.

Instead, she shot the ball, smiling widely when it went into the net. She clapped for herself, "Yay!"

"Nice shot," Mike complemented, "So...you and Cullen?"

Kit exhaled softly, "Mmm," she hummed, going to retrieve her ball. She didn't mean to be rude, but she had no answer for the baby-faced blonde.

Mike followed, glancing back at Bella who was picking herself up off the floor again. He had tried speaking with her, but the klutz had seemed too distracted to hold a conversation. He had seen Bella sit at lunch with Edward the day before and had heard that Cullen had driven her home much to Mike's annoyance.

When it came down to Bella and Kit, Mike wasn't sure who he preferred. True, Jessica liked him and he was pretty sure that they would be attending the dance together, but that didn't mean they were boyfriend and girlfriend. He could still keep his options open and right now his eyes were on Kit.

Just as they were leaving the cafeteria, Mike had come to Bella's defense when Lauren had badmouthed her, but he hadn't done so with Kit when Lauren and Jessica had both said horrible things about her. It was fine, wasn't it? Kit seemed like the type who could handle herself and Bella didn't. Besides, Kit didn't look to be bothered by it. So, it was fine. Jessica might be mad that he was still speaking with Kit, but she'd get over it.

"Got it," Kit murmured to herself, "Oh," she looked up when the bell rang, "Darn it, I was hoping to get to five."

She went to put her basketball away, going into her 'rush-home' mode. It was routine that she showered at home after school and she would need to hurry since Willa was coming over.

"Hey, look, it's your best friend!"

Mike's hand shoved playfully into Kit's back causing her to stagger right into Jessica while she was putting away her own basketball.

Jessica caught herself on the basketball cart and she looked around before she turned slowly, looking at Kit as if she had two heads.

"Did. You. Just. Push. Me?" she asked in a dangerously low tone.

"N-n-no," Kit stuttered, shaking her head. She looked behind her to see that Mike had left. Probably to the locker room. She turned back to Jessica and swallowed thickly, "N-no, Mi—I-I was...pushed."

"Are you freakin' kidding me, you weren't _pushed_!" Jessica snapped in the same low tone, "You just pushed me!"

"I-I didn't-

Jessica shoved Kit backwards and then lurched forward on her foot making Kit jump, "That's what I thought," she sneered, her face livid, "That was a dumb move, Kit. Watch your back."

Jessica made Kit flinch once more before she glared at her and stomped away, banging her shoulder against Kit's making the girl stumble once more.

"...better if she wasn't even here..." Kit could hear Jessica grumble, her voice echoing in the gym, "...no one would miss her..."

Kit ran a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath through her nose and letting it out through her mouth. So, it had been one of _those_ days? First, she had been tripped and now Jessica was completely furious with her—even more than she already was because Mike had pushed her. Sure, it had been a joke, but he knew of the teasing as Kit had heard Jessica and Lauren telling him about it. Why would he do something like that?

Was it because Emmett wasn't here? It did seem that Lauren and her clique were a lot more...forward when Emmett wasn't waiting for her before and after school, walking her to class or sitting with her at lunch.

"Ms. Algren," Coach Clapp approached her, an odd look on his face, "The gym is empty, that's a signal for you to _go home_."

Kit blinked, slightly startled at seeing the gym teacher.

"I was—I couldn't," she sighed, cutting herself off, "Yes, Sir."

She left after an irritated grumble from Coach Clapp and didn't bother to change, folding her clothes quickly and placing them into her bag. Usually, she would wait for Bella and they would walk together, but Kit left the locker room and headed straight for her car.

"Kit!" Alice wrapped herself around Kit's arm, Jasper next to her as always, "Hi!"

"Hello," Kit mumbled.

Alice frowned, letting go of Kit's arm. It wasn't like Kit not to greet her with the same amount of enthusiasm. Sometimes, it was more.

"Are you all right?" Alice asked.

"I'm fine," Kit promised, "Tired. How are you two?"

"Great," a frown was still on Alice's face and she looked at Jasper who looked concerned as well.

"Is somethin' wrong, Kit?" Jasper asked, his accent thick.

Kit was surprised at hearing Jasper's Southern accent. He must have worked to keep it out of his voice, but it was pleasant to listen to and she managed a small smile.

' _Keep it together_ ,' she thought to herself, ' _Don't lose it_.'

"It's...quiet without Emmett here," she supplied, smiling shyly, "That's all."

A wide grin spread across Alice's face and she laughed, a silvery bell laugh.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" she asked, laughing again when Kit looked away, "I'm sure he'll be glad to know."

Kit forced a chuckle and nodded, "When he returns from camping, tell him I said hello. Have a nice evening."

"You too," Alice smiled and waved, "Bye, Kit."

"Bye, Alice, Jasper," Kit returned the smile, but it faltered when she approached her car and saw someone waiting for her.

"Hey," Mike greeted.

"Hello," Kit forced a polite smile.

"Um, I'm sorry about gym," Mike said sheepishly, "I didn't mean—I was just messing around."

"Yes, I know," Kit forced a wider smile, "It's fine. Jessica and I laughed about it."

The lie scared Kit—terrified her. She hadn't meant to say it, she hadn't even thought of saying it. So, why had she? Why was she lying for a girl who so clearly couldn't stand her very existence? It had been so easy, too. Was she that desperate for everyone to believe that she was okay? That she could handle this?

"I have to go," Kit whispered. Her throat was starting to tighten, "Willa's coming over for the weekend."

"What!?" Mike cried much like a child, "Does that mean you're not coming, tomorrow?"

Kit tilted her head to the side and cleared her throat, "C-coming…?"

"To La Push," Mike said this like it was obvious, "First Beach? We're all going, tomorrow. Bella, Tyler, Eric, Jess, Lauren, Angela, Katie, Conner, Lee...everyone in our friend group."

Kit was sure the shock was obvious on her face, "Oh…I didn't hear anything about it."

"Well, you're invited," Mike told her, "And I guess your friend can come to the beach with us."

"Oh, maybe I'll take my sister," Kit was smiling a real genuine smile now, "She'd like that. Yes, I think I'll do that. I'll probably see you there, though."

Mike looked devastated, "You won't come with us?"

"I already had plans for the weekend," Kit said gently, "But I'll see you there and I'll make sure to say hello."

Mike nodded sulkily and after mumbling out a dejected goodbye, he left.

Kit sighed for the millionth time that day and climbed into her car, placing her bag in the passenger seat and buckling her seat belt before she drove off. School had been rough, more so than usual and she just wanted to go home and hug her parents, take a warm shower, and get ready for the weekend.

The idea of taking Indigo to the beach was making Kit's day a little brighter. Indigo would be bouncing off the walls with excitement as it had been sometime since she had gone to the beach to add to her seashell collection and it had been awhile since Kit and Indigo had really played together and it always brought Kit joy to see her sister smile.

She was unbuckling her seat belt before her car even came to a full stop in the driveway. She pulled her keys out of the ignition and ran to the front door, huffing in irritation when she dropped her keys.

"Mom?" she called loudly once she was inside the house, "Daddy?"

"In he-

Blake barely got the word out before Kit barreled into him, hugging him tightly and burrowing her face in his chest.

"Whoa there," he said gently. He cupped the back of her head and returned the hug, "Hey."

Everly went to the pair, placing her hand on Kit's back, "Kit Kat? What's going on?"

Kit shook her head, "Rough day," she said, her voice muffled and shaking.

Blake gently pulled Kit up by her shoulders and he rubbed them gently, "What happened, Kit Kat?"

"I don't know," Kit said tearfully. She hung her head, "I just..." she cut herself off with a shaky sigh and shook her head.

Everly looked at Blake, her eyes wide and irritated. This is _exactly_ what she had been talking about in bed some days before. She knew there was something going on other than some sort of teenage phase.

"Honey," Blake placed a knuckle under Kit's chin and tilted her head up, looking into his daughter's misty eyes, "What's going on?"

Kit shrugged and rubbed her eyes before the tears could fall.

"I think you do know," Everly said in a stern voice, "Is it your project? I know that's been-

"Willa!" Kit gasped, her hands flying to her mouth, "Oh, what time is it? I still need to shower before she gets here. Oh, and I was thinking of taking Indi to the beach. You know, it's supposed to be sunny and it's been awhile sin-

"Slow. Down," Blake placed a hand on Kit's shoulder and squeezed, "You sound like a buzzing bee, right now. We can't understand."

"Sorry," Kit flushed and took in a deep breath, holding it in before she released it a few seconds later, "I need to take a shower," she repeated slowly, "Willa will be here soon."

"But, Kit," Everly protested, "What about you? You're so upset..."

"I'm okay, now," Kit promised, rubbing her eyes again, "I just needed a hug, is all."

"I like to think that we know you better than that," Blake said, stroking Kit's hair, "Hm?"

"Yes, you do," Kit nodded, "Maybe I need one more hug. Both of you, this time."

Everly and Blake both smiled, pulling their daughter into their arms.

"You sure you're okay, sweetie?" Everly kissed Kit's head, "You can talk to us."

"I'm fine," Kit whispered, "And I know I can talk to you guys, I'm just...I'm fine."

Though she wanted to tell her parents, she just wasn't sure how.

* * *

Edward shut his sleek black cellphone and slipped it into his pocket, taking a seat on a convenient boulder.

"I'm not quite sure how necessary that phone call was," he said through clenched teeth.

Emmett grinned widely, showing off his dimples. The shirt he was wearing was destroyed, torn and bloodied, sticky with sap and covered in fur. His dark curly hair wasn't in much better shape.

' _To know that my girl is missing me_?' he thought. He couldn't wait to get back and see Kit, ' _That call was_ _ **very**_ _necessary_.'

Edward arched a single eyebrow, his eyes wide, "She's 'your girl' now? Very classy."

Emmett snorted, ' _You know what I mean_ , _kid_. _Cut me some slack_. _This is all new to me_.'

"What?" Edward asked, "Being a gentlemen?"

Emmett laughed, deciding to speak aloud, "You know me so well," he frowned at Edward's attire of a smooth clean white button-down, "You didn't get your mountain lion?"

"Of course I did," Edward said, "I just don't eat like a savage because I'm not a child."

"Someone's in a mood," Emmett sat on the rock beside Edward, "Sorry. I know you're in a tough spot, bro. You're so serious all the time. It's no fun and you're killing Jazz with these weird mood swings."

"How do you do it!?" Edward demanded, frustrated. He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even further, "You're not worried about her?"

"Kit?" Emmett asked, "Why should I be worried? She's having a sleepover with her friend. What should I be worried about? That she'll inhale too many fumes from the nail polish or study too much?"

He snickered, but Edward ignored his joke.

" _You_ of all people should be concerned about how fragile mortals are," Edward snapped, "I saw Kit holding your hand, yesterday. Did you ever consider, one wrong move and you could shatter every bone in her body, kill her in an instant before you could even blink?"

Emmett wasn't fazed, "Before I got to know her, yeah. But it's all good, now, I guess. Just gotta be careful and think about some things."

Edward scoffed and rolled his eyes, "I'm glad it's _so_ easy for you."

Emmett frowned, "It's not, not really. I guess I see what you mean though, about humans being fragile. I wasn't much of a match for a bear that first time around, was I?"

"Bears," Edward muttered, adding a new fear to the pile, "That would be just Bella's luck, wouldn't it? Stray bear in town. Of course it would head straight for her."

"Wow..." Emmett whistled lowly, "Stray bear in town? You sound like a crazy person, do you know that?"

"Think, Emmett!" Edward snarled, "Quit with the jokes for _one_ second! You love Kit, don't you? What if she went hiking and ran into a bear or something? She could get hit by a car...or lightening...or fall down stairs...or get sick—get a disease!" he was shouting now, the words spilling from him, "Fires and earthquakes and tornadoes! _Ugh_! When's the last time you watched the news? Have you seen the kinds of things that happen to them? Burglaries and homicides. Is she going to La Push? What if she drowns!?"

He wasn't really talking about Kit, he was talking about Bella, but he didn't understand why Emmett was so casual. This was something that he and Emmett should have seen eye-to-eye on. They were both destined to fall in love with humans. It was dangerous with Bella's blood smelling so sweet and Kit being so...well, human. They could easily be killed by the both of them and Edward couldn't fathom why Emmett didn't see that.

"Whoa, whoa! Hold up, there, kid," Emmett held up his hands, palms facing outward, "They both live in Forks, remember? So they get rained on. Most of the time, Kit forgets a jacket and I'll give her mine. They won't melt," he shrugged.

"It has to be something else, Emmett," Edward said, his tone quiet again, "Really, out of all the places in the world, they end up in a town where vampires make up a significant portion of the population. What kind of luck is that?"

Emmett still wasn't convinced, "Yeah, but we're vegetarians. So isn't that good luck, not bad?"

Edward shook his head, "Isn't this the worst luck any human could ever possibly have—to have a vampire fall in love with them?"

Emmett narrowed his eyes, "Thanks, I'll make sure to let Kit know that when I tell her about me."

Edward made an apologetic sound in response.

"I'm fine with Kit being turned," Emmett shrugged again, "So, I don't see a problem with this. Honestly, once you get around to accepting the inevitable, everything is going to be fine."

"You think this is inevitable?" Edward repeated, "What if Kit wants to remain human?"

"I haven't heard that one, yet," Emmett said simply, "And if she wants to stay human, that's cool too. Whatever. Just as long as she's happy. Isn't that what matters?"

Edward rolled his eyes. He had asked the wrong person.

Seeing Edward's reaction, Emmett sighed, "It solves your worries about mortality, doesn't it? And then you wouldn't want to kill her, either. Isn't that the best way?"

"For us or them?" Edward asked.

"For both, maybe," Emmett answered, "I really didn't mind it and from Alice's vision, it seems like they might not mind it, either."

Edward finally snickered, "Are you sure you're not the one sounding like the crazy person?"

* * *

 **Author's Note: I've been getting a lot of complaints on how Kit is handling the bullying and you need to realize that is how a lot of people in high school handle it. It's not denial, it's a coping skill. From my own experience and others telling the principal only made things worse as the victims name would usually be mentioned in the confrontation with the bullies.**

 **Kit's not playing dumb, hoping that someone will save her, she just doesn't want the bullying to find a way into her home life or personal life. She's sort of trying to contain it, if that makes sense. I don't think that makes her any less mature.**

 **If it's that big of an issue, there are plenty other stories to read.**

 **Thanks,**

 **FictionChic**


	10. I Can Keep A Secret, Can You?

Kit hummed to herself as she worked on braiding double pigtails into her sister's long hair. She finished off the second plait with a clear rubber band and a pink bow before she released it, letting it fall past Indigo's collarbone.

"There you are," Kit pecked her sister's forehead, "What do you think?"

"S'pretty," Indigo said, glancing at herself in the mirror, "What do you think Willa?"

"I like it," Willa promised with a smile, her own long hair braided to the side, "Pink is one of my favorite colors."

"How do you say pink in Hindi?" Indigo asked eagerly.

" _Gulaabee_ ," Willa said.

"Indi," Kit scolded gently, "Quit pestering her. She's not a human translator, you silly goose."

Indigo sighed in irritation, mumbling an apology. That morning, she had woken both girls up at seven by jumping on the bed. Much to her delight, both girls had woken up screaming and Indigo had almost fallen off the bed from laughing so hard.

Upon hearing Willa talk, Indigo had fallen in love with her accent. Though, Willa was born in Seattle and her parents, India, the teenager had picked up the accent and had been raised speaking Hindi. All morning, Indigo had been asking Willa to say words.

"Let's go down for breakfast," Kit suggested, holding out a hand, "Willa, my mom usually makes waffles on Saturday mornings. Is there anything you can't eat?"

"Red meat or pork," Willa said, adjusting her flowy black tank top, "That's it."

Kit nodded and turned to look at her sister, "Are you sure you're not tired, sweetheart?"

Indigo shook her head, sending long blonde hair flying, "I'm an early bird," she declared, "Why, are you still tired?"

"Yes," Kit said honestly, "Because a crazy eight-year-old woke me up too early."

Indigo stuck her tongue out, "Oh, Kitty."

"Oh, Indi," Kit mocked playfully.

"Have you been to First Beach before?" Willa asked as they went into the kitchen.

"No," Kit shook her head, "Have you?"

Willa nodded, "A few times," she grinned, "Guess that means I'm driving."

Everly chuckled, setting out plates on the table, "Good morning, you three."

"Morning, mommy," Indigo chirped, "Morning, daddy."

"Hey," Blake greeted, kissing Indigo's forehead, "Early bird. Are you excited for the beach?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Indigo grinned, bouncing on her toes.

"Are you sure you two don't want to come?" Kit asked, "We don't mind."

"Nah, we'll be fine here," Everly promised, "You three have fun. Willa, do you drink coffee?"

Willa looked shocked and shook her head, "No, ma'am."

"Ma'am?" Everly laughed, "Please, call me Everly, honey. Hot chocolate, then?"

"Perfect, thank you," Willa smiled, taking a seat.

"I can't believe it's sunny out," Kit said, looking over at the kitchen window, "And it's bright too."

"Really bright," Blake agreed. He looked at Willa, "The sun is rare here?"

"Very," Willa said, "I think it's supposed to be sunny the whole weekend. Monday and Tuesday, too."

Blake whistled lowly, "Damn."

"Blake," Everly lightly hit his shoulder, "Language."

Kit hid a chuckle behind her hand. She was excited to take her sister to the beach. She liked to get down and dirty, finding shells, sea glass, and interesting-looking rocks. Hampton Beach was a great place for it, but it was constantly crowded, making Indigo antsy and anxious. Hopefully, this would be a nice change, the sunshine was making Kit more chipper than she already was.

She had dressed in a white shirt and over that, a pair of sky blue and white gingham overalls in a light and lined woven fabrication. She buckled her suspenders and had slipped her feet into a pair of white jelly flip flops with large blue lotus flowers on the front.

"Now, what is this beach? Some get-together?" Blake asked, going over to place a waffle onto Indigo's plate.

"Well, a bunch of people from school are meeting at someone's parents store," Kit explained, picking up her fork, "Thank you. Anyway, I thought it would be more fun to take Indi, but we'll probably see the others there."

"Sounds fun," Blake's tone was laced with approval, "And Emmett will be there?"

Kit blushed, pushing her sister's hand away when Indigo tried to poke her flushed cheek, "No. He's camping with his brother, Edward."

"Camping, huh?" Blake questioned, "They do this often?"

"I-I don't know," Kit blinked a few times, "Why the-" she cut herself off with a laugh, "That was a weird tone you used."

"It was, honey," Everly agreed with her own chuckle. She set mugs of hot chocolate out.

"Was it?" Blake took a sip from his coffee mug, "Oh, sorry. I was just curious. I guess if you're camping, this would be the place to do it on days like this."

"Make sure you put on sunscreen," Everly reminded, looking at her children, "Especially you, Indigo. You burn easily."

Kit stared at Willa as if waiting for something.

"What?" Willa demanded.

"No cheeky comment?" Kit asked, smiling.

"Mm, no," Willa shook her head, cutting off a huge piece of her breakfast, "I'm distracted, right now. This is a _really_ good waffle."

"Thank you, Willa," Blake smiled widely, "After breakfast, why don't you three head out? You probably want to get there before everyone else does."

Kit nodded in agreement and they all ate in peace. She waited for Indigo to lick her spoon before she stacked their plates, bringing all three to the sink and breaking the silence, "You don't want help with the dishes?"

Everly shook her head, "We've got it."

"I'll go get my bucket," Indigo cried, running out of the kitchen.

"Your car or mine?" Willa asked.

"Mine if you drive," Kit tossed Willa her keyring, "I don't know the way."

"Is pizza for dinner, fine?" Blake asked. He looked at Willa, "We usually get cheese, nothing fancy."

"No, that's perfect," Willa smiled.

"I found my bucket," Indigo returned, a pink plastic bucket clutched in her hands. Over her shoulder, were two jackets and she handed them to Kit, "Jacket."

"Oh," Kit gasped, handing Willa her zip-up hoodie, "I completely forgot. Thank you, sweetheart."

"Did you put on sunscreen?" Everly asked.

Indigo nodded.

"Kit..."

"SPF 15 in my body lotion and face moisturizer," Kit defended quickly.

Everly pursed her lips, regarding her eldest for a moment, "Very well. On you go."

Kit laughed, "Thanks. I love you."

"I love you more."

Blake groaned loudly.

"Not possible," Kit laughed.

"Yes, possible," Everly returned, hitting Blake's shoulder, "Have fun and be safe."

"Get Indi's booste-

"Ugh, daddy!" Indigo whined, "No, I hate it!"

"She's not tall enough to go without it," Kit whispered to Willa.

"Just a little while longer," Blake promised, placing his hand on the small of Indigo's back, "You'll have a growth spurt, soon, okay?"

Indigo sighed dramatically, "Okay."

"Come on," Kit held out her hand, "Let's go."

"Bye, mommy," Indigo called as she was led away, "Bye, daddy!"

"Have fun!" Blake and Everly called back.

Once the door closed, Blake wrapped his arms around Everly's waist, "Wow. We're all alone in this big empty house..."

"Mhm," Everly hummed, turning in Blake's arms so that her hands could rest on his chest. She pressed a kiss to his lips, "It's nice and quiet..." she sang.

Blake smirked and leaned down so that his forehead rested against hers. He closed his eyes, focusing on the sound of their synchronized breathing.

"Are you all right?" Everly asked, bringing her hands up to rest on his cheeks.

"Fine," he promised her.

The side of Everly's mouth quirked up, "You sound like Kit."

"I'm worried," he admitted to his wife, "She was almost in tears the other day. Didn't you see her?"

"I saw her," Everly confirmed, "You know how hard she works to keep her grades up and I know she's been struggling on whether or not she wants to apply for an art school in a couple of years. That's a lot of pressure."

"...And she's _such_ a perfectionist," Blake added thoughtfully, "She beats herself up over the smallest things and she was worried about transferring schools. We've never moved before."

Everly nodded, contemplating. Was that what was going on with Kit? She was stressed about graduating on time and thinking of her future?

"But we can't make assumptions," she said this mostly to herself. She sighed, "I think you're right Blake. We might have to wait for her to come to us and hope that she does."

* * *

"Wow, it's _so_ pretty," Indigo breathed, her hands pressed against the window, "Kitty, look."

From the passenger seat, Kit looked out the window and she had to agree with her sister. The drive to First Beach was quite a sight. Gorgeous dense green forests edged the road most of the way and the wide Quillayute River snaked beneath it, twice. Definitely a change from Hampton.

"This beach shouldn't be too crowded," Kit twisted back to address Indigo, "You'll like that."

"You don't like crowds?" Willa asked, glancing at the rear view mirror.

"Mm-mm," Indigo shook her head.

"Me neither," Willa said, "Oh, here's a great parking spot."

Even from the car, Kit could see how gorgeous the beach was.

The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits, and crowned with austere, soaring firs.

The beach had only a thin border of actual sand at the water's edge, after which it grew into millions of large, smooth stones that looked uniformly gray from a distance, but when Kit got out of the car and walked closer, she could see every shade a stone could be: terracotta, sea green, lavender, blue gray, dull gold. The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees, bleached bone white by the salt waves, some piled together against the edge of the forest fringe, some lying solitary, just out of reach of the waves.

There was a brisk wind coming off the waves, cool and briny. Pelicans floated on the swells while seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled above them. The clouds still circled the sky, threatening to invade at any moment, but for now the sun shone bravely in its halo of blue sky.

"No one from school is here," Willa looked behind her at the parking lot, "Good."

"Kitty, can I go?" Indigo begged, tugging impatiently on Kit's hand. She pointed down the beach, "Can I go, pretty please?"

"Yes, go ahead," Kit let go of her sister's hand, "Just as long as I can see you and don't get too close to the waves or I'll have to swim after you."

"K," Indigo giggled and ran off, stopping here and there to pick up a rock.

"She's so cute," Willa commented, watching Indigo for a moment.

"Mhm," Kit chuckled a little as she and Willa began walking, "I love her to death. Do you ever wish you had any siblings?"

"Not really," Willa answered, "I have a lot of cousins, so they kind of make up for it when I see them. I mean, it was kind of boring when I was smaller, but then I started dancing and it took my mind off of it. What about you? Do you ever wish you were an only child?"

"I used too," Kit told her honestly. She bent down and picked up a rock, "When Indigo was around four or five, she started going through my things. You know, taking my clothes, putting on my jewelry and messing around with my stuff in the bathroom. I started to get really annoyed with her, but it's fine now. She sort of grew out of it."

"She still does it?" Willa asked.

Kit scrunched up her nose, but smiled, "Yes, but she'll usually ask first."

The waves crashed over the sand, causing Kit to gasp when the cold water licked her feet.

"I kind of want to go in," Willa admitted, pushing her braid back, "There's an extra change of clothes in my bag...and a towel."

"It's really cold," Kit warned, "And it's saltwater. Won't it burn your eyes?"

Willa narrowed her eyes as if she was blaming the water for its state, "Yeah...it will."

It was silent after that and the two girls walked, calmed by the sounds and smells of the beach.

The sun was a little too low, but it warmed Kit's skin. If she had been lying on a blanket, she was sure that she would have fallen asl-

"Whose Indigo talking too?"

Kit snapped out of her thoughts at Willa's question and she looked around frantically, "What!? What, where!?"

Before Willa could answer, Kit had taken off down the beach and Willa hesitated before she followed, jogging at a much slower pace.

As Kit got closer, she could see her sister talking to some boy, both sitting on their knees and digging through the sand.

"Indigo!" Kit shouted once she was within hearing range.

Both looked up and once Kit was less than ten feet away, she slowed her run to a quick walk, her chest heaving. Up close she could see the boy who Indigo was sitting with. He had a tall, gangly build, with a youthful face and a huge, happy grin with brown eyes. His skin was beautiful and russet colored, his short hair sleek and black.

"Hi, Kitty," Indigo greeted, happily.

"Indigo," Kit said sternly, "What are you doing? You know better than to talk to strangers, don't you?" she knelt down, trying not to show how worried she had been, "Are you okay?"

"Sorry," the boy spoke up, still smiling, "She was trying to get a shell from the water and asked if I'd help. She said she wasn't supposed to get too close."

"Oh," Kit blinked a few times, feeling bad about scolding her sister, "Is that true, Indi?"

"Yes," Indigo nodded, "Hi, Willa!"

"Hey," Willa panted, out of breath, "What's going on?"

"Indigo was making friends," Kit said stupidly. She hadn't been watching close enough and she brought up a hand to stroke Indigo's hair. What if something had happened? She shook her head, clearing away the mess that was currently her mind. She needed to start paying more attention.

"So, you're name's Kitty?" the boy asked, his tone casual.

"Kit," she corrected, "Kit Algren and this is my friend Willa Korai. What's your name?"

"Seth Clearwater," he smiled widely, "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"You didn't," Kit reassured, "Sorry, I didn't mean to come off that way. How old are you?"

"Thirteen," Seth said proudly, "I'm here with some of my friends. We live over on the Rez."

"A what?" Indigo asked, frowning.

"Reservation," Seth explained, "I live there with some of the other Quiletues. Makah, too. It's a Native American tribe here in La Push."

"Ohhh," Indigo nodded, but her tone implied she still didn't understand. Instead, she beamed and reached into her bucket, handing something to Kit, "Look what Seth found for me!"

It was a large light brown adult conch shell. The inside was a smooth light pink color and the outside was rough with ridges. It was perfectly shaped, not a thing out of place and there were no cracks or chips.

"It's pretty," Willa said, kneeling down.

"Mhm," Kit nodded in agreement and placed it carefully in the bucket, "Very pretty. Did you say thank you?"

"Yes," Indigo said, her tone implying the 'of course.'

" _Seth_ ," a male voice screamed from the opposite side of the beach, " _Get your butt over here_!"

"Wow," Willa said, impressed, "Some pipes."

Seth chuckled, washing his hands in the ocean before he stood up, drying them on his khaki shorts, "Yeah, that's my friend, Quil. He's fifteen."

"It looks like they have a fire going," Willa said, looking up at the smoke curling up into the sky.

"Yeah, some food too," Seth grinned, "Come on, I'll introduce you."

"Can we go, please?" Indigo begged, pulling on Kit's hand.

Kit looked at Willa before she nodded. It was starting to get chilly out and sitting by a bonfire sounded like the thing they needed to get warmed up.

Indigo walked in front beside Seth, dragging both Kit and Willa behind her while the two talked.

"I think the others from school are here," Willa said, squinting to see, "I just see Tyler, Eric, and a bunch of girls. Not Bella, though."

Kit pursed her lips, unsure if she wanted her sister around people from her high school. It's not that she was worried that her sister would embarrass her—she didn't care about that, but she remembered Mike saying that Lauren would be attending and Kit didn't want her sister anywhere near the blonde or her clique.

"Willa," Kit whispered.

"We can sit further away," Willa promised, "With the guys from the Rez. If Lauren actually says something?" she shook her head in disgust, "That's really low."

"Hey, Quil," Seth greeted his friend, "Shout louder, next time. I don't think they heard you in Germany."

Quil grinned impishly, "I'll make sure to do that," seeing Kit and Willa, he whistled lowly, "Introduce me to your friends, Seth."

"Knock it off, you weirdo," another boy shoved Quil's shoulder, "Quit being creepy!"

Quil snickered and then held out a hand to Kit first, "Quil Ateara."

Quil had brown eyes, dark skin, black hair, and an impish grin. His hair was dark brown curly buzz cut.

Kit shook Quil's hand, smiling warmly. She pulled Indigo closer and Indigo kept her arms wrapped around Kit's waist, pressing herself tightly to Kit's side.

"I'm Kit Algren and this is my little sister Indigo," she said, releasing his hand, "Pleasure to meet you."

"Hi!" Indigo beamed.

"Hello, there," Quil smiled gently and looked at Willa, arching an eyebrow.

"Willa Korai," she shook his hand, "Nice to meet you."

Quil nodded in agreement and turned to Seth, "What were you doing down there?"

"Digging for seashells," Seth said, gesturing to Indigo's bucket, "We found some nice ones, huh, Indigo?"

Indigo grinned widely and bobbed her head up and down.

"Why don't you guys take a seat?" an older boy suggested, "Warm up."

"Thanks…?" Willa trailed off.

"Sam," he said in a very deep voice, "Sam Uley."

"Thank you, Sam," Kit smiled and led Indigo over to a sturdy driftwood log.

"Kit, you made it!" Tyler cried happily once she had sat down.

Kit nodded, avoiding Jessica and Lauren's death stares, "It was a nice day," she supplied, "Funny, I thought there would be more people here."

"Oh, there are," Tyler said, "A bunch of them went on a hike to the tide pools. They should be back soon."

"Kit," Lauren sneered, "So glad you could make it," her fishy eyes went over to Indigo, "Who's this?"

"My sister," Kit said sharply.

Lauren pursed her lips, eying Indigo before she turned back to Jessica, muttering something in her ear.

"Did you guys want something to eat?" Eric offered, bringing over some sandwiches and a selection of sodas, "Here."

Kit accepted three sandwiches, but didn't take any soda. She handed a sandwich to Willa and one to Indigo before she opened her own.

"Thanks, Eric," she smiled at him, "Indi, after you eat we can look for more shells, hm?"

Indigo nodded eagerly and looked at Seth, "Will you come? You find the best shells."

Seth grinned, "Sure."

"That's a _lot_ of food, Kit," Jessica sneered, "Are you really going to eat all that?"

Kit bit her lip, looking down at her sandwich. It was the same size as everyone else who was eating, but maybe it was a lot considering her size? She was taller than Jessica which made her look a lot thinner. Is that what the Junior girl had meant?

She tried to keep her facial expression controlled as she ate her sandwich—slower, this time as she could feel glaring eyes on her and by the time she had finished her sandwich, she heard a muddle of voices, and she looked up to see people returning from the hike. Bella and Angela among the group.

"Hey, Kit," Bella approached before Mike could, "Hey, Willa."

"Hello," Kit smiled while Willa waved.

"Is this, Indigo?" Bella asked hopefully.

"Hi!" Indigo piped, holding out a hand, "I'm Indigo."

"I'm Bella," she shook her hand, "I've been wanting to meet you."

"Really?" Indigo gasped, her eyes wide.

"Mhm," Bella smiled, "Are you liking Forks?"

Indigo scrunched up her nose, "It's wet."

Bella laughed and while she and Indigo talked, Lauren decided to make her move.

"It's too bad your boyfriend didn't show up, Kit," Lauren said mock-concerned, "You didn't invite him?"

"What?" Mike whined, "You're _actually_ dating Cullen, now!?"

Kit remained silent, unsure of how to respond. She wasn't going to give Lauren the satisfaction and who she was or wasn't dating wasn't any of Mike's business.

Instead, she turned away from them, getting Indigo's attention again.

"Sweetheart, did you want to go find more seashells?" she murmured quietly.

"Mhm," Indigo nodded and stood up, "Coming Seth?"

"Yup," he nodded, shoving at Quil when he snickered.

"Did you want to come, Willa?" Kit asked, waiting.

"No, thanks," Willa was looking at something one of the girl's had in her hand. She was someone from the reservation, "I'm going to stay here with Jessica. It's freezing out there," she finished with a grin.

"Okay," Kit chuckled, "See you soon, then."

She walked off, hand-in-hand with her sister, but once again, Indigo broke free, running someways ahead, but she always looked back, making sure that she stayed within her sister's eyesight.

"Did you invite your boyfriend?" Seth asked after a moment.

His tone was completely casual and a bit teasing.

Kit hesitated with her answer, "He's...not really my boyfriend, but no, I didn't invite him. He had plans with his brother."

"Another Cullen?" Seth asked.

"Well, yes," Kit blinked. She thought back to the rumors she had heard, "You don't like them?"

"I've never met them," Seth said quickly, "But they seem okay. I heard Dr. Cullen is a great doctor. You guys are lucky."

"You too," Kit insisted, "Forks General isn't that far, is it?"

"Mm, you don't understand," Seth picked up a shell, "None of us go there. To Forks General."

"Oh?" Kit asked quietly.

"Yeah..." Seth trailed off, hesitating, "... _Because_ he's there."

"Dr. Cullen?" Kit asked, bewildered. She had never met the man, but he seemed nice from what Alice and Emmett had told her.

Seth puffed out his cheeks, then blew out a mouthful of air. He ran his hand through his hair, "It's a bunch of crazy stuff, really. I don't really listen to it—I fell asleep once and got grounded for three days. There are these legends we have. Ever hear about them?"

Kit shook her head.

"Ugh, you're lucky," Seth rolled his eyes and then chuckled, "They get boring after awhile. I just started hearing about them. You know, my age."

"You have to be a certain age to hear the stories?" Kit asked curiously.

Seth shrugged, "Just this story. It's supposed to be _really_ scary."

"Oh," Kit winced, "I don't like them."

"Me neither," Seth smiled sheepishly, "What were we—oh, the Cullen's, right. Ugh, I should have asked Jake. His great-grandfather knew Dr. Cullen."

Kit's eyes darted to the side, "Okay? That's not so bad."

Seth shook his head, "No, I mean—Jake's great-grandfather was alive in the 1930's and Dr. Cullen is _supposed_ to be in his early thirties, now."

Kit was sure that her brain was short-circuiting as she looked over to see where Indigo was. Seth's story was choppy and she struggled to keep up.

"Supposed to be?" she repeated.

Seth bent down to pick up another seashell. He hand a handful of them now, "Bingo. You see, the Cullen's aren't _allowed_ to come on our land. _That's_ why they don't come here. Carlisle and a few of them made a treaty with Jake's great-grandfather, Sam's great-grandfather, and Quil's great-grand-father centuries ago."

"What was the treaty for?" Kit frowned.

Seth gestured to himself, "Supposedly, we descend from wolves—and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them. The wolves only have one mortal enemy—the Cold Ones, but these ones claimed they were different. They claimed they didn't hurt humans—this was Carlisle's clan."

"And he's a doctor," Kit interjected.

Seth nodded again, "Exactly, but you never know. What if they got hungry and decided to go out for a midnight snack?" he chuckled, "So, they made the treaty."

"Midnight snack?" Kit asked, "But wha-

"Seth," Indigo called, "Come here, come here."

Kit stood there dumbly as Seth squeezed her shoulder before jogging off to go help Indigo dig a shell out of the ground. She was sure that she had never been more confused in her life and she made a mental note to take an ibuprofen tablet when she got home to help the headache that was starting to develop.

What kind of treaty had the Cold Ones made? And is that what the Quileutes believed? That the Cullen's were the Cold Ones from the story?

"Seth?" she called, running up to the pair.

"Yeah?" he looked up, "What's up?"

Kit dropped down to her knees and started digging though the sand. While she was doing that, she leaned in closer.

"Why are they called Cold Ones?" she whispered.

Seth looked at her strangely and then laughed, "Why do you think? Because their skin is supposed to be really cold. Like ice. Pale too."

Kit closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, "Okay," she whispered.

"Aw, don't look so freaked," Seth told her, "I didn't even tell you the scary stuff."

"I'm not sure I want to know," Kit said honestly.

Seth nudged her shoulder, handing Indigo another seashell, "Are ya' suuuure?" he drawled out wickedly.

Kit took another deep breath, "Why not? It's a weekend, I don't need to sleep, tonight."

Seth laughed and lowered his voice so that Indigo wouldn't hear, "Like I said, Jacob's grand-father already knew Dr. Cullen in his time. There were four more, I think. Yeah, three men and two women, but there's more of them now."

"So, then there would be seven of them in total?" Kit asked, thinking.

Seth nodded.

"You said 'midnight snack'," Kit reminded, "What does that mean?"

"You really want to know?" Seth checked.

Kit nodded, "Yes, please."

Seth exhaled, "The Cold Ones said they were different, which means that they didn't...eat what others of their kind ate... _humans_."

Kit's mouth fell open, "Humans?"

"Well, drank their blood," Seth corrected, "If the Cold Ones didn't hurt any humans or come onto our land, then the men who could turn into wolves wouldn't attack them or reveal their presence to the humans."

Kit remained silent for a moment, allowing her brain to take in Seth's words.

"So, the Cullen's, at least in the story," she added quickly, "Claimed they didn't drink human blood? Like... _vampires_?"

Seth looked satisfied and he nodded, "Yeah, exactly. That's why we don't go to Forks General. Carlisle's our 'natural enemy'," he used air quotes, "So, we can't go there. Not where a vampire works."

"I see," Kit whispered lamely.

"Scared?" Seth teased.

"Terrified," Kit corrected.

Suddenly, Seth laughed, "Got enough shells there, Indigo?"

Indigo sighed pitifully, "I need a bigger bucket," she mumbled to herself, "I guess I'm done."

"Perfect timing," Kit forced a smile, "We need to get back for dinner and we'll soak your shells so they don't stink up the house."

"I like the way they smell," Indigo defended.

Kit chuckled, picking up Indigo's bucket, "It will give you a headache."

Indigo stuck her tongue out before she turned to Seth, "Thanks, Seth!"

"You're welcome," he said sincerely, "I'm sure we'll see each other again."

"Of course," Kit promised, "We'll come down, sometime and say hello. You can tell me more scary stories."

Seth laughed and then his eyes lit up, "Jake!" he called.

The boy that Seth had referred to as Jacob looked to be about fourteen maybe fifteen, and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored; his eyes were dark and he still had just a hint of childish roundness left around his chin.

Bella looked slightly aggravated as the trio approached and she glanced at Jacob before she mumbled out a hello.

"We were about to leave," Kit said, "We've got to get home for dinner."

"Oh," Bella seemed to relax, "Okay. That's..."

Kit frowned. Bella seemed more awkward than usual. Nervous and fidgety. After saying a quick goodbye, she followed Seth and Indigo back up the beach where they found Willa still chatting with Jessica.

"Are you ready?" Willa asked, climbing to her feet.

Kit nodded and then turned her attention to Sam, who acted as spokesperson, "It was really nice meeting you."

"You too," Sam said sincerely. He looked at Indigo and smiled, "It was nice meeting you as well, Indigo."

"Thank you," Indigo said politely.

"Bye, Kit," Mike called, wincing when Tyler shoved his shoulder.

"Bye," Kit mumbled, avoiding his gaze, "See you at school."

"How can she walk?" Lauren mumbled, just loud enough for Kit to hear, "She weighs a ton."

Jessica laughed, "Every time she walks there's an earthquake happening somewhere else."

Kit pursed her lips and tugged on Indigo's hand, getting the girl to follow her back to the car. They were making fun of her weight, now? What, were they going to move onto something else every week?

"You look like you're about to burst into tears," Willa said quietly, "Do you want me to say something?"

"No," Kit shook her head, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. She didn't want Willa to get involved, "Don't worry about it. It's fine. Here, Indi, you get in first and you can hold the bucket. We'll have to soak those as soon as we're home."

"K," Indigo climbed into the car and as soon as she was settled, she held her arms out, "Thanks, Kitty."

"Mhm," Kit gave a tiny smile before she closed the door and went to the passenger side, "Did you have fun."

"Lots," Indigo grinned, "Did you?"

"Lots," Kit repeated, making her sister giggle.

"What about you, Willa?" Indigo asked, "Did you have fun?"

"Of course," Willa said absently, glancing at Kit.

"I liked Bella," Indigo said, "She..."

Kit tried her best to listen as Indigo launched into her tale, but she struggled to keep up, her mind stuck on the Quileute legend that Seth had told her.

What if Emmett really was a Cold One?


	11. Mind Stays Busy, Eyes Stay Low

Kit sat at the kitchen table, eating a large caramel sundae with marshmallow fluff on top. She hadn't eaten much that day and Willa had gone home early in the afternoon, after they had finished their project with promises of a sleepover at her house. Kit had happily agreed.

Now, it was almost two in the morning and sleep failed her just as it had on Saturday night when she returned home from the beach. She had spent that night writing out Seth's story, trying to put things together so that she could read and make sense of it.

And then she had written down things that Emmett had told her to try and match it. She felt like an odd Sherlock Holmes as she tried to piece things together.

Was this all the little inside jokes Emmett had promised to tell her? Why he had laughed so oddly when Kit had said she was a vegetarian? Because he didn't give into his...eating standards? His skin was cold like ice, hard too and he was strong. He had made some comment about cars and indulging in them because of their speed, but vampires weren't known to be fast. Were they?

Kit shook her head frantically and took a large bite of ice cream, sucking on the spoon as she thought.

"Vampire," she whispered to herself, "Cold Ones. But if Dr. Cullen—and Emmett took me—Alice hugs me all the time and—they're all around humans."

She ran a hand through her hair in frustration, trying to think of a proper way to go about this. If it wasn't for how serious Seth's family seemed to take the story, she probably would have laughed. For a whole tribe to refuse medical attention because of a legend? If they were taking it that seriously, there had to be _some_ truth behind it.

"Vampires," she whispered again. She made a face and dropped her spoon, covering her face with her hands, "I sound like a crazy person and I have school in five hours."

She removed her hands in favor of taking another bite of ice cream. There was a simple solution to her problem: ask. She would simply tell Emmett that she had heard a story about his family being a bunch of vampires…

"No," she groaned, resting her forehead against the table. She snorted, "That sounds worse."

The story itself had scared her, but Kit herself was not scared of the Cullens. She couldn't be. Alice, who was becoming a close friend, greeted her every morning with a hug and sometimes a kiss on the cheek, Emmett who—well, that was to be determined—Jasper, whom she hadn't talked to much, but he had asked if she was all right and honest concern had laced his Southern drawl.

What did that mean for them, though? Being around all those humans...all that blood? It had to be uncomfortable and Kit remembered a comment from Jessica on her first day of school: that Jasper constantly looked like he was in pain and that the Cullens were all weird and kept to themselves. Was that why? It certainly was a good reason.

Kit peered into her bowl of ice cream and took another bite. She supposed if vampires did exist, Forks was a great place to live, wasn't it? Not much sunlight and it was easy to blend it when almost everyone was pale.

"Kit?"

The kitchen lights flicked on and Kit turned her head to see her mother standing in the doorway wrapped in her fuzzy blue robe.

"Oh, hey, mom," Kit greeted casually, taking another bite of ice cream.

Everly blinked sleepily and then yawned as she rubbed her eyes.

"Honey," she yawned, shuffling to stand behind her daughter, "Do you know how late it is? What time did you get up?"

"Technically, yesterday," Kit mumbled, "When Willa and I woke up for breakfast."

"Honey," Everly gasped, more alert. She pulled out a chair, "What's been going on with you lately?"

"Nothing, mom," Kit promised with a tired smile, "Nervous about the project and you know, Willa and I keep talking about going to Julliard? School's just been a bit rough."

Everly tsked, "Sweetie, you're too hard on yourself," she moved to stroke Kit's hair, "I'm so sorry that we moved during the middle of the school year and I know that you've been rushing to keep up an-

"No, it's not your fault," Kit interrupted quietly, "I really like it here. I have friends and it's really pretty, nice and quiet. I-I like school, I guess."

"You guess?" Everly questioned, "What's that about?"

"Like you said," Kit began to play with her ice cream, not up for eating anymore, "I've just been rushing and it's stressful," her throat tightened and she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and she tried to backpedal, "But it's fine! Only until June...and it's almost Spring Break! That'll be really nice."

"Mhm," Everly hummed, failing to mask her concern, "You look stressed out. Why don't you stay home, tomorrow? You're not going to be able to get any work done if your falling asleep at your desk."

Kit's heart fluttered. A break from school sounded like heaven. Even if it was just a day, that was a day of no glares, name-calling, pushing or shoving. She'd turn her phone off too and put it in one of her desk drawers.

She bit her lip harder to keep it from trembling and tears welled up in her eyes, "T-thanks, mom," she choked out, "You're the best."

"Kit, sweetheart," Everly sighed heavily, pulling Kit into her arms. She kissed the top of her head, "Talk to me, please. What's wrong?"

"School's been hard," Kit said honestly, a tear slipping down her face, "Like, _really_ hard and...p-

She stopped when the all-too familiar feelings of shame and embarrassment made themselves known. She closed her eyes, bringing her hand up to wipe away stray tears before her mother could see.

Everly pulled back a little, "And?"

Kit sighed and shook her head, "Nothing, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Everly questioned, sighing at the abrupt halt, "Kit Kat, don't _ever_ be afraid to tell me or your father how you feel. We want to know these things so that we can try to help or offer advice."

"Okay..." Kit mumbled. She was starting to feel sleepy, "I don't want to sound ungrateful."

"You won't," Everly promised, rubbing Kit's back, "Having negative feelings does not mean you're ungrateful. Now, you can have your break, tomorrow, we'll see how you feel Tuesday, and then in a few more days you'll get a whole week off. Think you can make it?"

"M-mhm," Kit yawned.

"C'mon," Everly encouraged, helping Kit to her feet, "Let's get you to bed. I'll leave your breakfast in the fridge and you can sleep in."

Kit yawned widely, grasping the handrail as she climbed the stairs, "That sounds amazing."

Everly chuckled quietly and she yawned herself, "Yes, it does," she led Kit into her room and pulled back the covers, "Into bed you go, Kit Kat."

"Thanks, mom," Kit sighed, allowing her mother to tuck her in, "I love you."

Everly smiled, kissing Kit's forehead, "I love you more, honey."

Kit closed her eyes, "N-not...possible."

"Yes, possible."

And with that said, Everly kissed Kit's forehead one last time before she left for her own room, allowing her daughter to get some much-needed rest.

* * *

The microwave beeped and Kit took her plate out, going to sit down at the table where a note was waiting. Scrawled in her mother's loopy cursive was a note that said Kit would be home alone for the day while Indigo was at school, Blake in Port Angeles, and Everly was going to talk to some woman named Tiffany Call about selling paintings in the First Beach gift shop.

Kit had awoken midday to a blinding light that shone directly in her face and she had bounced over to her window to pull the curtain back. The sun was bright yellow and the sky clear blue. Only a few wisps of white cloud hung in the air, but they were too thin to hold even a drop of rain.

She didn't have much of an appetite as she dug into her eggs and hash browns, but she ate anyway, her mood brighter thanks to the sun. She was excited to stay home to take a much needed break from the bullying that was starting to wear on her. In fact, her phone was shut off and at the bottom of her sock drawer and she had no plans to turn it on until the next day.

As she was washing her plate, Kit looked up at the kitchen window, the oxblood bass penny loafers not helping her leverage. She wasn't going to waste a rare sunny day inside and planned to take a walk before school was let out, or her parents returned. That would be nice.

Along with her loafers, she wore a two tone gray, salmon pink and sage green floral print cotton dress with a light pink floral sash belt tied around her waist in a giant bow.

She placed her plate in the dishwasher and grabbed her keys from the hook by the phone before she headed out the front door, locking it behind her.

The sun was warm on her skin and she tilted her face up, soaking up as much warmth as possible as she walked into the forest that made up her backyard. Sitka spruces and the hemlocks, the yews and the maples and pine trees surrounded Kit, smelling heavenly and clean from the rain that fell the night before.

She walked for fifteen minutes, keeping to the trail and being soothed by the sounds of nature. She breathed deeply, trying her best to keep her mind clear from the thoughts that wanted to burst forward. She just wanted to be alone with herself.

"Shoot," Kit huffed, turning her head to look behind her. She sighed, but continued walking, "I should have brought Nero with me."

She jumped up on a fallen tree, holding out her arms for balance. She wobbled a little then regained her footing, laughing at how ridiculous she was sure she looked.

" _Ah_!" she let out a loud gasp when the tip of her shoe caught and she fell, scraping her hand and knees against the rough bark.

"Are you kidding me?" she mumbled to herself, looking at herself. Her knees were dirty, but fine, her palms spotted with dirt and blood. She sighed and tried her best to shake off her hands, "That's what I get for messing around."

She went over to a patch of grass and rubbed her hands on the dew until most of the dirt was gone. She brushed off her knees and stretched, her joints cracking with satisfaction.

"Ah, that's so much better," she sighed pleasurably.

The sun still managed to peek through the large canopy of trees while Kit continued walking and she took another deep breath. Yes, she desperately needed this day off.

When she opened her eyes, a small scream left her lips and she stumbled back in surprise, almost walking into a tree.

Two people were in front of her hand-in-hand. One male and one female. The male was 6'3" tall, with long, white blonde hair and a lean body. His eyes were red. The color of blood.

The female was very petite and white blonde. Standing at only 5'0" with matching red eyes.

Kit remained silent, but she was shaking from both fright and realization. Their skin was pale, but had a glow to it and the couple's frame reminded Kit of Alice and Jasper.

They were Cold Ones. Vampires.

* * *

Emmett pushed himself to run faster, Jasper and Alice at his flank. He had known that Jasper's companions were coming for a visit, but he hadn't known that Kit would run into them. Alice struggled to see Kit's future. Even the one Alice had seen with Kit as a vampire had started to turn blurry.

" _Do you think they'll mind_?" came Peter's Southern twang.

Whatever Charlotte had been planned to say was cut off by Emmett's loud snarl as he stopped in front of Kit, blocking her from view.

"Like hell we will!" he growled.

Peter looked appalled by Emmett's protective stance, "Emmett? What are you-

Emmett growled again, cutting Peter off.

"Emmett, it's okay," Alice spoke up, "They're weren't going to hurt her. I had a vision, it's going to be fine."

Emmett swore he could see red. He was going to rip these two apart, "She's. Bleeding," he managed to choke out.

"I-I f-f-fell."

It was Kit who spoke up, her voice meek and shaking. Hearing it, Emmett turned his head a fraction to look her over. Her eyes were wide with fright and her hands were clenched into fists at her chest, preventing him from seeing the injury, though he could smell it.

"Jasper?" Charlotte turned to the other blonde, looking at him with worry.

"Peter, Charlotte," Jasper greeted them with a curt nod, "This is Kit Algren, Emmett's mate."

Realization slammed into the two and they watched as Alice wrapped her arms around Kit in a soothing manner, giving a gentle and amusing laugh.

Peter winced, remembering how he felt all those years ago when Charlotte had been seconds away from being destroyed.

"My apologies, Emmett," he said sincerely, "I was not aware. I will not harm the girl—neither of us will. You have my word."

"Come on, Kit," Alice began to lead the girl away, "Let's-

Emmett growled and Alice raised her hands, slowly placing one on Jasper's shoulder when the blonde growled himself.

"You're the one scaring her," Jasper informed his brother.

Making sure that he was still between Jasper's comrades and Kit, Emmett turned to face his mate, his face uncharacteristically serious as he addressed her, "Let me see your hands."

"I-it's fine," Kit whispered, jumping when he growled again.

Emmett shook his head. He had to be sure, "Let me see," he repeated with forced gentleness.

"I'm b-bleeding," Kit reminded him, "I-I _know_ —I-I don't want to...h-hurt you, if it's uncomfortable—t-the blood."

"Carlisle's home," Alice said slowly, "I'll take her to him, have him look her over, okay, Emmett?"

Emmett nodded curtly and after briefly touching Kit's cheek, he let Alice lead Kit away. Once the two were far enough, he turned back around to face the blood-eyed vampires.

"A human girl?" Charlotte asked, unable to keep the pure disbelief out of her voice, "This is quite a shock."

Jasper nodded, "It was a shock to us as well."

"And she knows?" Peter asked, looking at the spot where Kit once stood.

Emmett sighed, his tense posture relaxing a bit as Jasper pushed waves of calm at him "It seems that she knows, now."

"You plan to add her to your coven, then?" Peter was addressing Jasper.

Jasper folded his arms across his chest, glancing at Emmett before he answered, "That is up to her."

Peter's eyes widened and then he nodded, put off by Emmett's protectiveness over a measly human girl. He was also surprised at Jasper's words. The girl was going to be given a _choice_ on whether or not she was turned?

"The Volturi know about this?" Charlotte asked.

"No," Emmett said, not mentioning Bella, "And there's no reason for them to. Not yet."

Charlotte nodded in understanding of Emmett's words, "We would never tell."

Emmett relaxed even more, "Thank you. I apologize for my earlier behavior."

"That's quite all right," Peter held a hand out, shaking Emmett's hand, "I understand."

"Are we still welcome in your home?" Charlotte asked hopefully. They had already been planning on stopping by for a visit, "We would love to see the others and hear about how you...found this human. She will remained unharmed as Peter said."

Emmett looked at Jasper who gave a curt nod.

"Sure," Emmett said, "If you'd like to run with us back to the house."

Peter nodded in agreement and then he and his mate embraced their former comrade—their brother, eager to know how this had come about.

* * *

Carlisle Cullen resembled a male model more than he resembled a doctor with his well-toned medium frame and collar-length blond hair. He stood 6'2" and had gentle eyes with light circles underneath them, all the Cullens seemed to share this trait.

"These are minor abrasions," Carlisle said in his slight British lilt. He looked at Kit and smiled, "I'm sorry that we had to meet this way."

"That's all right," Kit whispered. She watched Carlisle's face as he cleaned the scrapes on her hands, "Are you okay?"

Carlisle made a sound of amusement and gave a nod, "Yes, I am fine. Why do you ask?"

Kit's eyes flicked over to Alice who stood in the corner of Carlisle's office. The room itself was beautiful and high-ceilinged with tall, west-facing windows. The walls were paneled in a dark wood. Most of the wall space was taken up by towering bookshelves that reached the ceiling. Another wall was crowded with framed pictures of all sizes, some in vibrant colors, others dull monochromes.

Kit shifted in her spot on the huge mahogany desk and she bit her lip for a moment.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" she asked, her tone soft and nonjudgmental, "The Cold Ones?"

Carlisle chuckled again, placing a bandage over each of Kit's palms, "Yes," he said without hesitation, "That is an old name for what I am, but I shouldn't be surprised. From what I've heard you're very old-fashioned."

Kit smiled and nodded, "That, I am."

"You don't need to worry," Carlisle promised her, "I am all right and you will be as well. No harm will come to you while you are here."

"Thank you," Kit said quietly.

"How long have you known?" Alice asked, gliding to Kit's side.

"Since Saturday," Kit said, "Well, kind of. Um, someone was telling me a scary story about the Quileuetes and a treaty they made with the Cold Ones, your family," she quickly corrected herself, "But you're different. You don't hurt humans."

"Yes," Carlisle helped Kit off the desk, "We have a certain value for human life. Though, I'd save your questions for Emmett. No doubt he wants to be the one to tell you of this."

Kit nodded obediently and then a thought struck her, "Oh, Dr. Culle-

"Carlisle," he corrected gently.

"Carlisle," Kit repeated, "Thank you very much for your help," she looked at her palms, "How much do I owe you?"

Carlisle looked surprised and he shook his head, "You don't owe me anything."

Kit pursed her lips, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," he gave her chin a small pinch and offered a gentle smile, "Alice, why don't you take Kit to the living room? Otherwise, Emmett will destroy the house looking for her."

Alice laughed, "Yes, Carlisle. Come on, Kit."

Kit let Alice take her hand and she was led down the massive curving staircase that dominated the west side of the first room, her hand trailing along the satin-smooth rail.

The interior of the house was very bright, very open and very large. There must have originally been several rooms, but the walls had been removed from most of the first floor to create one wide space.

The back, south-facing wall had been entirely replaced with glass, and, beyond the shade of the cedars, the lawn stretched bare to the wide river. The walls, the high-beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets were all varying shades of white. On a raised portion of the floor by a the door stood a spectacular grand piano that Kit assumed to be Edward's from what Emmett had told her.

The outside of the house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It was painted a soft, faded white, three stories tall, rectangular and well proportioned. The windows and doors were either part of the original structure or a perfect restoration.

"This house is beautiful," Kit commented, looking around the room.

"Thank you," Alice smiled widely, "Esme and I did most of the renovations. Esme studies architecture and she's always working on some sort of blueprint. We all love living here."

"Yes, it's one of our favorite places where we have lived. We were happy to return."

From a room off to the right, came a woman who was 5'6" tall, with billows of gently waving, caramel-colored hair. Her face was heart-shaped with dimples, and her figure was slender but rounded. Her golden eyes held nothing but warmth and kindness.

And Kit, being the bubble of sunshine that she was, grinned widely and bounced forward, holding a hand out.

"Hi!" she greeted, "I'm Kit. You must be Esme."

"Yes," Esme smiled warmly, as she took Kit's hand, "It's very nice to meet you. I've heard quite a bit about you."

"Have you?" Kit reclaimed her seat on one of the luxury sofas next to Alice.

Esme chuckled, standing by the couch, "Yes. Very good things."

The front door slammed shut and a slight breeze was the only indication that Kit received that someone was in the house. She had gathered that vampires were very fast and she blinked, smiling widely at the person in front of her.

"Emmett!" she cried happily.

Emmett smiled, the back of his hand going to run down his cheek, "Hey, you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kit replied with no hesitation, "Are you okay?"

"Peachy," he snorted.

Kit smiled dryly, "I have questions for you."

Emmett laughed and kissed Kit's cheek, "I figured you might. This is definitely not how I wanted you to find out."

"I don't mind," Kit promised, her hand going to touch Emmett's cheek, "You promised not to hurt me and your family has been kind."

Emmett stared at Kit for a moment, then nodded before he gestured to her hands, "Are you going to let me see now? No growling, I promise."

Kit chuckled and held out her hands, letting Emmett take them and observe the simple plastic strips that went across each of her palms.

"I think I'll live," she joked, noticing how intense his face was.

"She's fine, Emmett," Carlisle was suddenly beside Esme, his arm around her shoulders, "No harm done."

"And I believe," Jasper came into the house, Peter and Charlotte trailing slowly behind him, "Someone owes someone else an apology."

Kit's body tensed and Emmett placed a hand on her shoulder, taking a seat next to her when Alice moved to stand beside Charlotte. He pulled Kit close, his arm wrapped around her waist.

"We will not hurt you," Peter dipped his head, "And I am sorry for our earlier encounter."

Kit beamed, "That's all right!" she promised them. She got up and walked forward, holding out her hand as she always did when meeting new people, "I'm Kit!"

Emmett snorted in disbelief and Kit turned to him, frowning.

"What?" she asked, confused by his reaction.

"Only you would forgive someone who had plans to kill you," Emmett snickered, "That's so you."

Kit let her hand fall from Charlotte's grasp and her frown deepened, "Well, aren't they supposed to?"

"Supposed to…?" Emmett asked.

"Kill me?" Kit clarified.

Emmett winced at her bluntness, but Jasper chuckled, gesturing for Peter and Charlotte to sit. Oh, yes. He liked this girl.

"I...suppose," Emmett mumbled as Kit made his way back over to him, sitting close. He wondered if she was putting on an act? No one was this brave and he could hear her heart accelerate with anxiety.

Brushing off the thought, he pressed his lips into a thin line and then kissed Kit's hair, "I'm glad you're safe."

"I'm fine," Kit repeated quietly. Another breeze and she looked over to see Rosalie. Had the blonde been here the whole time?

Everyone fell silent and the sudden tension in the room caused Kit to purse her lips, recrossing her legs at her knees instead of her ankles, but Rosalie said nothing, looking Kit up and down before she went to join Peter and Charlotte, sitting on the arm of the loveseat they occupied.

Emmett looked at Rosalie in surprise, but she shot him a look daring him to say something.

"Are you going to tell us how you...acquired this human?" Peter asked.

"Kit," she corrected, unable to look into his blood red eyes. Yes, she understood that they drank human blood—it was apart of their natural diet, but that fact still made a part of her uneasy.

Emmett squeezed her shoulder in comfort and Kit smiled, leaning into his touch, her head resting on his broad shoulder. She had missed him more than she thought.

"Kit, then," Peter said with a chuckle, "How did you meet?"

"We met at school," Kit answered simply, "I bumped into him in the hallway and Alice and I became fast friends."

"What are you even doing here?" Rosalie cut in, her tone harsh, "Aren't you supposed to be at school, now?"

"Aren't you?" Kit countered, before she could stop herself.

Emmett's booming laugh eased the tension that surely would have set, but Kit bit her lip, feeling bad about the snappy remark.

"I'm sorry, Rosalie," she said, "Um, yes, I should be at school, but I skipped, today."

"Why?" Rosalie asked.

Kit pursed her lips and she tried to think of a response, "Why not? It's good to have a day off once in awhile."

Rosalie nodded slowly, "I suppose," she mumbled.

Kit looked up at Emmett, "If you don't burn, what happens if you go out in the sun?"

Emmett frowned at that, "How do you know we don't burn?"

Kit glanced at Peter and Charlotte before returning her gaze to Emmett's, "I saw them when I was taking my walk, you too when we went swimming."

Emmett nodded, "Burned by the sun is a stupid myth that mortals come up with to make themselves feel safe. Like they have a chance."

"They don't?" Kit asked.

Emmett pulled gently on a lock of Kit's hair, "No more questions. Later."

Kit sighed impatiently, but nodded, "Can you at least tell me what you do eat if it's not human blood?"

"Animals," he told her shortly, "We're vegetarians."

To his surprise, Kit laughed.

"Yes, I suppose you are," she said through her giggles, "In a very odd way. Huh," she said thoughtfully, "That's fascinating."

"I'll tell you more about it," Emmett promised, "You'll finally get to know my inside jokes."

Kit laughed again, running her hand up and down Emmett's arm, "I missed you," she told him softly.

And those words caused a jolt of some unknown emotion to go through Rosalie's body and the glare that she wore softened into a look of confusion and irateness. Confusion because Kit was being honest when she said that she missed Emmett and irateness because she couldn't hate the girl no matter how much she wanted to. Unlike Bella, but that was different. That was personal.

After some more small talk, Peter and Charlotte dove into a tale about their travels and time they spent in Mexico. Jasper mentioned something about someone named Maria, but Kit didn't ask questions, noticing the tenseness in his posture and the strain in his voice when he said her name.

Kit wasn't frightened, anymore. At least, not of these vampires. It was clear that they wouldn't hurt her, but it made her wonder if there were others out there who would.


	12. Oh, Let's Go Back To The Start

It was later that Emmett requested that he and Kit go out for a walk, holding out his hand and leading her out the back door to the stream in the forest, but close enough to the house. They walked in silence, but it wasn't their usual comfortable silence. This one felt tense and awkward, Emmett holding Kit's hand a little too tight.

Once he had let go, Kit took a seat on a nearby tree stump, while Emmett remained in the shade.

"I'm sure you have questions," he said softly. He brought his knees up to his chest, letting his arms drape casually over them.

Kit nodded, turning her body so that she was facing him, "Tons," she whispered.

"Can I ask one first?" Emmett asked, "But I'm sure you already know what it is," he added as an afterthought.

Kit nodded wordlessly.

"Are you scared, yet?"

"Yes," she admitted with a frown, "Very, but...I think it's because I don't know much about...this. Yet."

"Okay," Emmett ran his hand through his hair, hoping the human-like gesture would make him appear less intimidating, "Shoot."

"I can ask any question?" Kit clarified sternly.

He nodded, "Any question."

"The animal blood," Kit started, "What...does it do? Your eyes..."

"It turns our eyes gold," Emmett explained, "Our eyes turn black if we get too thirsty, red if we drink human blood. Blood is the only thing we can have that will sustain us. Animal blood isn't at all appealing—I actually spat it out the first few times I had it, but it keeps us nourished and somewhat satisfied. It allows us to live among humans. Animal blood keeps us...there. We're able to think clearly for ourselves and we can form strong bonds of love with others and that is how my family and I have been able to live amongst each other for centuries. When we taste human blood," he shook his head, thinking back, "We turn into monsters."

"Does it hurt?" Kit asked quietly, "Being around blood or humans?"

Emmett thought, "It depends both on how recently we've fed and our amount of self-control. Carlisle barely notices the scent, anymore and Rosalie's record is just as clean as his. It burns our throat, it's uncomfortable, but we tolerate it because we value human life on the moral grounds that all human life is precious."

"We?" Kit mumbled, forcing her eyes to stay locked with his, "You're not the only ones, then?"

"Our cousins in Denali, Alaska," Emmett said, "They're another coven who sustain off of animals, but that's it. A lot of other covens or nomads find us all quite strange. They think the animal blood will drive us crazy, but that's far from the truth."

Kit nodded slowly, taking in this information, "Back at the house, you said something about the myths? That it gives humans a false sense of security. What does that mean?"

"You've felt my skin," Emmett reminded her.

"It's cold and hard," Kit said, remembering.

Emmett nodded, "Like granite. After the transformation, we change completely. I didn't recognize myself at first. Our skin is leeched of almost all color, our eyes change, everything is enhanced and perfected. Literally. We're predators. Weapons, if it wasn't for the animal blood making us more humane."

"But Charlotte and Peter..." Kit protested, "They seemed fine."

"They're different," Emmett waved them off, "Jazz's old comrades from long ago. They like to visit and we have a deal with them about hunting here, so they had to learn more control. Charlotte keeps Peter in line," he winked at Kit, making her smile.

"You're fast," Kit told him.

"Mhm," Emmett agreed, "Yeah, we're very fast—a hundred miles per hour," he snickered at another memory, "A human will blink and we'll disappear. That day I approached your car? I used my speed. That's why you didn't hear or see me. Most of our movements are instantaneous."

"Wow..." Kit breathed. She leaned forward in interest, "What else?"

"Strength," Emmett hesitated, "...This is another reason it's dangerous. Especially for you, Kit. I have to mind my actions every moment that we're together so that I don't hurt you. Every time I touch your face, I could crush your skull by mistake."

Kit's eyes widened at that and she rubbed her hands on her dress. They were suddenly clammy. That day in the hallway when he had stroked her cheek, saying that he needed to 'check something'. Had that been it? He was testing to see if he wouldn't kill her or crush her skull? She shuddered.

Emmett continued, "Our strength is unstoppable, but my strength was magnified when I became a vampire as I was already unnaturally strong as a human. I'm physically the strongest vampire out there. I could turn a boulder to dust with just my pinky."

They stared at each other for a moment, Emmett more focused on the sunlight that danced magically in Kit's green eyes making them look even brighter. Now he was really waiting for her to scream and run off. He had just told her that he had the potential to crush her skull. What sane person would stay after that?

"Ask another question," he begged, unable to stand the silence any longer and fearing that she'd leave, "Ask another one."

"O-okay," Kit cleared her throat to stop her voice from shaking, "T-there are others like that? They're...magnified?"

"Something like that," Emmett said, relieved, "Carlisle believes that we all bring something of our strongest human traits with us into the next life, where they are intensified—like our minds, and our senses."

"Oh?" Kit asked, her curiosity peaked further.

Emmett's posture relaxed somewhat, "Well, there's Carlisle and Esme. He brought his compassion and she her ability to love passionately. It's helps us stay together as a family and if it wasn't for Carlisle's compassion, he might not have been able to discover the ability to sustain himself on animal blood. Rosalie has her beauty, I have my strength. Though, Jasper, Alice, and Edward are really the only ones considered _truly_ gifted."

"What do you mean?"

Emmett chuckled, "Edward can read minds."

"What?" Kit gasped loudly, "Can he really!?"

"Yup," Emmett nodded and then grinned, "Gets annoying sometimes, but he can't control it, though he tries his best to give us all privacy. Jasper can influence people's emotions," Emmett said, still grinning, "Feel them too. That's why he likes you, you're very positive and bubbly and that in turn makes him feel the same."

Kit smiled at that, feeling a blush rising to her cheeks, "That's really interesting. So, he could make someone happy or angry-

"Or sad or lethargic, scared," Emmett finished, nodding, "He's very subtle about it, but not always."

"What if someone's sad or angry?" Kit tried to quell her worry, "Does it…?" she trailed off, unable to get her words out.

"It makes him uncomfortable," Emmett said, "Hurts him, depending on the intensity."

"Oh," Kit pursed her lips. She would need to be careful, then. Especially at school. She didn't want to cause Jasper any distress, "And Alice?"

"Visions of the future," he said, "She sees things—things that might happen, things that are coming, but she can only see the outcome of someone's decision once it is made—meaning the future can change all too quickly; and if the decision is not firmly rooted or last minute."

"Wow..." Kit breathed again, "That's amazing," then, a thought struck her, "Wait, where is Edward? I haven't seen him."

Emmett snorted, rolling his eyes, "He's watching Bella."

Kit's eyes widened, "Watching her!?"

"Yeah, it's this whole big thing," Emmett sighed, "She's the only one who can block him out for some reason. He can't read her mind. It's...a complicated situation."

Kit nodded, "I see," she decided to move on, hearing Emmett's tone, "A lot of vampires have these gifts, then?"

"Very few," Emmett answered.

Kit nodded again.

"You're asking very specific questions," Emmett chuckled, "You're missing all the important ones. The basic ones."

Kit bit her lip, thinking, "Sleep?"

"Nope," Emmett popped the 'p', "Never."

She looked shocked by that, "Never? I'm sorry."

Emmett shook his head, "It's fine, no sweat. Time goes by quite differently for us. I could learn a whole other language by tomorrow, if I chose to do so. I could learn to play the violin, too."

Kit quirked her eyebrows in amusement, "Oh, really?"

"I'd have to name it, though," Emmett said, fake pondering as he tapped his chin, "Hmm, should it be a girl violin or a boy?"

Kit shoved him gently and laughed, "Stop!" she demanded through her giggles.

Emmett laughed too, glad that the tension had eased a little. Once he stopped laughing, he reached out and touched Kit's cheek again.

"You're really okay with all of this?" he asked gently.

"Hmm," Kit hummed, pondering like he had, "I'm not sure yet. I have more questions."

"Okay," Emmett settled back against the tree, "Such as?"

Kit looked up at the sky, her eyes squinting at the bright light, "If you're not burned up by the sunlight, then, what...hurts you?"

"Plotting something?" Emmett teased.

"Hey, you never know," Kit grinned, "I might need to defend myself."

"We're almost impossible to kill," Emmett told her, "Usually a vampire has to do it. It's not a fun feeling."

Kit pursed her lips. There was one question that was really bothering her and she was almost afraid to know the answer.

"How old are you?" she asked quietly.

Emmett sighed, revealing that had been the question he was dreading as well. He tried to lighten the situation by giving a small smile, but he was sure it looked more like a grimace.

"Which age?" he asked, "My false birth certificate? Vampire years? Or my real age—the age when I was turned, my eternal age?"

Kit pursed her lips, "Vampire years first," she whispered.

"Sixty-nine," Emmett told her, picking at the blades of grass.

Kit swallowed and nodded, "A-and your real age? The one when you were turned?"

Emmett exhaled softly, "...Twenty."

Kit remained silent for a long while as she thought. Twenty. He was twenty.

"I'm sixteen," she told him, not meeting his gaze.

Emmett nodded slowly, "Mhm. Yes, I know."

"A four-year age difference," she mumbled to herself.

"We can wait," Emmett told her gently, "If you want, I'll wait for you," he smirked, "I won't be getting any older and I have all the time in the world."

"You won't be getting any older," Kit repeated.

A four-year age difference was okay, wasn't it? To people on the outside, it was only a two-year age difference and Kit would be turning seventeen during the late summer months. And just because she and Emmett were together, that didn't mean they had to... _do_ anything. He didn't smoke or drink and her parents liked him.

Kit didn't think she could wait. She didn't _want_ to, as selfish as it sounded. They were more than just friends, that much was clear and she couldn't reverse that.

"Can we take it slow?" she asked, looking at him.

"Yes, of course," Emmett nodded, a pleased smile graced his features, "As slow as you like."

Kit let out a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding, "Okay. Okay, that's okay, then."

"Are you sure?" Emmett asked, frowning at her nervous tone, "I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

"I'm comfortable," she promised him, "It's fine, really."

Emmett nodded, but he still seemed unsure.

"When were you born?" she asked, wanting to move on, "I mean...what happened, if you don't mind me asking."

"I don't," he told her, "I was born Emmett McCarty, born in 1915 and grew up in the small town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, as part of a large Scotch-Irish family. I had a little too much fun in my adolescence, but I loved my family. I kept them supplied with food and game and worked on the railroad with my older brothers in Gatlinburg, while my younger sister would help my mother with housework. When I was twenty, I went hiking up in the mountains and got into it with a bear."

Kit winced.

Seeing her reaction, Emmett chuckled, "I'll spare you the gory details. The bear finished playing with me, and I knew I was about to die. I couldn't move, and my consciousness was slipping away. I heard what I thought was another bear, and a fight over which would get my carcass, I supposed. Suddenly it felt like I was flying. I figured I'd died, but I tried to open my eyes anyway. And then I saw her—Rosalie," his face was incredulous at the memory.

"I knew," he continued softly, "I knew I was dead. I didn't even mind the pain—I fought to keep my eyelids open, I didn't want to miss one second of the angel's face. I was delirious, of course, wondering why we hadn't gotten to heaven yet, thinking it must be farther away than I'd expected. I kept waiting for her to take flight. And then she brought me to God," he laughed his deep, booming laugh, "It was Carlisle. I thought what happened next was my judgment. I'd had a little too much fun in my twenty human years, so I wasn't surprised by the fires of hell."

He laughed again, but Kit didn't react. So then the vampire transformation was painful? Incredibly so by the sound of it. Though, she smiled at the thought of Rosalie being the one to find Emmett. It made sense and she could tell the two were incredibly close.

Emmett spoke again, "What surprised me was that the angel didn't leave. I couldn't understand how something so beautiful would be allowed to stay in hell with me—but I was grateful. Every time God came by to check on me, I was afraid he would take her away, but he never did. I started to think maybe those preachers who talked about a merciful God might have been right after all. And then the pain went away...and they explained things to me."

Seeing how light Emmett's tone had turned, Kit decided to speak, "How long did the pain last? The transformation?"

"Three days usually," Emmett said, his tone casual, "Carlisle and Rosalie were surprised I didn't seem disturbed over the vampire issue. But if Carlisle and Rosalie, my angel, were vampires, how bad could it be? Hell's not so bad if you get to keep an angel with you," he chuckled, remembering something else, "Edward had his hands full with me at first. I had some trouble with the rules..."

His eyes flicked to Kit's face, trying to gauge her reaction, but she looked fine as she stared at him, her eyes full of wonder and curiosity.

"I'm sorry," she finally said, "That you had to go through all that."

"It's okay, now," Emmett reassured her, "Leaving my family was the hardest part."

Kit was confused now, "Leaving your family?" she questioned, "You mean, you couldn't say goodbye or anything?"

"No," Emmett said sadly, "The first year for a vampire is the hardest. I was dangerous and by the time I had even an ounce of control, my family assumed me to be dead. They probably saw all the blood. We had to leave so that I wouldn't be seen, but Edward helped me put together a hefty bag of cash and he left it on the porch. You know, to help them get through things."

Kit stood up and brushed off the back of her dress. She went to go sit by Emmett who immediately pulled her close. The pain in his voice sounded fresh even after all these years. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to the juncture of his shoulder.

"Do you miss them?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," he nodded, breathing in her pleasant scent, "Yeah, I do. I've gone to visit their graves a couple of times. Maybe I'll go again soon."

Kit nodded, smiling at him encouragingly, "I bet they'd like that. How many siblings did you have?"

"Three older brothers and one sister. My older brothers and I always messed around, but my sister was more...docile," Emmett's eyes became far away with fondness, "She loved helping my Ma out with all the housework. Her name was Lila, brothers were Jonah, Eli, and Caleb."

"You remember?" Kit asked.

Emmett's eyes narrowed in concentration, "It's hard. It's like when you squint your eyes and you see that little bit of light, but once your pick up on a memory, it's easier to grasp onto."

Kit made a sound of contentment, "Thank you for telling me all of this."

Emmett kissed the top of her head, "You're welcome. Do you feel better?" he asked her teasingly, "Less scared?"

"Yes, a lot better," she promised with a chuckle, "But I have more questions."

Emmett rolled his eyes dramatically, "Of course you do."

"Earlier, in the forest, Jasper said that I was your mate," she scrunched up her nose at the animalisitic term, "What does that mean?"

Emmett sighed. He didn't want to get that deep into things and overwhelm her or make her feel like she didn't have a choice.

"That's not important, right now," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument, "Next question."

"Fangs?" she asked, deciding to go simple again.

"No," he said in return, "They look like your teeth, but our teeth are flawless, unbreakable, and razor sharp at the edges."

"Can you feel things?" Kit asked, reaching down to lace their fingers.

"Yes," Emmett nodded, "Everything. We can feel the temperature, but we're not bothered by it. I can even feel the heat coming off your body. It feels nice."

Kit hummed in response and they sat for awhile in silence listening to the sounds that surrounded them.

She used this time to process all the information that her brain had been given. It was a lot to take it, but it was easier to deal with now that she knew. She could make sense of things, now. The age difference would take some time to get used to, but she figured that was the least of her worries if she was dating a vampire.

She chuckled to herself.

"What?" Emmett asked.

She chortled again and looked up at him, "Is this our second date?"

Emmett threw his head back and laughed, "Sure, why not. As long as we're together."

"Mhm," Kit said in agreement, "Is your family okay with this? With...me?"

"Carlisle and Esme are very happy for me," Emmett smiled, "Jasper likes you and Alice loves you to death. Rosalie...she's harder, but she'll start to come around."

"Edward?"

"He's weird," Emmett said simply, "Bella smells very strong to him and it's...difficult for him to be around her. It's a huge test of his self-control, but he does it. Anyway, he's been really off, but he has no problem with you or us. Once he and Bella get together, he'll be a lot more pleasant."

"Bella doesn't know?" Kit asked, shocked, "I thought...oh, I thought she knew."

"No, but she will," Emmett said, "She's suspicious."

"Oh," Kit said.

"Can I ask you a question, now?"

Kit pretended to think about it.

"C'mon," Emmett grinned, "One question for every one hundred that you ask."

"All right, all right," Kit relented, smiling, "Go ahead."

"Why didn't you go to school, today?" Emmett asked gently, "You don't seem like the type to ditch."

"I'm not," Kit said, "My mother excused me. I didn't sleep well the night before."

"But you're going, tomorrow?"

Kit's face fell and she didn't bother to hold back her sigh, "I don't know," she mumbled, "We'll see."

There it was. That tone again.

"You don't like school?" Emmett pushed gently. He smiled, "An organization-crazy gal like you? I can't picture it."

"I like school," Kit mumbled, "I just—can we not talk about it?"

Emmett frowned, "Sure," he said, "Come on, let's go back inside. Unless you have any more questions?"

Kit thought for a moment, "No, I don't think so...not right now, at least."

"Okay," Emmett stood up in one fluid motion, glad he could finally be his true self. He held out a hand.

"Thank you," Kit was pulled to her feet and she smiled when Emmett wrapped and arm around her waist, "Will I see you, tomorrow?"

"It will be sunny," Emmett said, "We all go back to school, Wednesday."

"Okay," Kit smiled and hopped over a rock.

"No heels, today?" Emmett teased.

"No," Kit chuckled, "I don't have any hiking heels, remember?"

Emmett nodded, running his thumb over the bandage on her palm, "Hurts?" he asked when he saw her wince.

"No," Kit shook her head, "Not really."

"This isn't how I envisioned you meeting my family," Emmett joked, "Or how I envisioned you finding out about...this."

"How did you envision it?" Kit asked, looking up at him.

"Family? Definitely more formal," Emmett said, "The vampire thing? Not sure. I was sort of playing that one by ear."

Kit chuckled, looking up as the house came into view. She had never known this part of Forks existed, but it was beautiful.

"Oh, look," she smiled warmly as she released Emmett's hand, going over to a bunch of flowers, "Chicory!"

Emmett watched as she skipped over to the bright blue flowers, kneeling down to smell one, his hand touching the leaves gently.

"You like those weeds?" he asked disbelievingly.

She turned her head, her eyebrows slightly knit together, "Weeds? They're so pretty."

Emmett sighed, but went closer. Even with his supernatural eyesight, he couldn't see what was so appealing about them.

"What do you like?" he asked.

"I like the name," she said with a chuckle, "And did you know that they can be used as a coffee substitute or even in a salad?"

"It's your favorite?" Emmett asked.

"Oh no," Kit shook her head, "No, my favorite flowers are camellia's. Light pink ones."

Emmett made note of that and took Kit's hand when she came back to his side. He was so glad that he could be himself around her, now. He didn't have to hide anything else from her and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

* * *

Everly watched her daughter skip across the kitchen, napkins and silverware clutched in her hands as she helped set the table.

"Wow," Everly commented, "Your day off really lightened your spirits."

"Yes," Blake agreed, "You look better."

"I feel a little bit better," Kit smiled, "I needed a break."

Everly nodded, not wanting to push her daughter anymore than she already had.

"And you feel up to returning, tomorrow?" Blake asked, spooning pasta onto the plates.

Kit's face seemed to fall and she concentrated even harder on arranging the cutlery.

"I guess so," she sighed, scowling.

Everly looked up from the loose corn she was seasoning and frowned, "You're being very teenagery, Kit Kat. You don't want to go to school, tomorrow?"

"No, I will," Kit muttered.

' _Keep it together_ , _keep it together_ ,' she chanted in her head, ' _It's fine_ , _you're fine_.'

"Your mother didn't ask if you _would_ go to school, tomorrow," Blake said firmly, "She asked if you _wanted_ to."

Kit so rarely ever got irritated with her parents. They were her best friends and they got along perfectly. They were like those families from old sitcoms—too good to be true, but lately, talking about school was a sore subject and she didn't want to talk about it if a question regarding school couldn't be answered with 'fine'.

"I said I was going, gosh, dad," she huffed, her tone exasperated.

Blake's eyes widened and then he folded his arms across his chest, "Watch your attitude, Kit. I don't appreciate being spoken to that way."

"Well, I said I was going to school, I don't know why you just can't accept that answer," Kit rolled her tearful eyes. She had never snapped at her parents, but even thinking of school exhausted her—wore down on her, "Can we talk about something else, now?"

"Su-

"No," Blake interrupted his wife, holding a hand up, "Let's stay on this topic, hm? I understand that you're getting older, Kit. More responsibility, independence, friends, a boyfriend, but I'm not liking these...attitude changes. Now, they're not big, but they do have me concerned."

Kit dug her lower teeth into her lip. She hadn't realized how hard it would be to lie and fake smiles. How much effort it would take to hide text messages and clear her history ever time she checked her email. To come home after school and beam like she hadn't been crying in her car only minutes before.

Of course her parents would have noticed as she was sure her attempts weren't perfect. Her parents knew everything about her and she had never hesitated to tell them when something was wrong or when she was feeling sick or hurt. So, she wasn't sure why she was doing it now. Maybe because this had turned into something so much more. It had escalated so quickly it almost gave her whiplash.

Kit shook her head, still refusing to face her parents, "I just—I don't want to talk about it."

"You're not talking about anything," Everly cut in, "That's the problem, Kit. You're not talking to us."

"Because there's nothing to talk about," Kit assured them, "I'm worried about getting into Julliard, how many times do I have to say it?"

Blake finally went to his daughter and spun her around to face him, keeping his arms around hers, "Until you tell us the truth. You can only use that excuse so many times. Sweetheart, you look _so_ sad. Now, I'm going to ask you one more time: Do. You. Want. To. Go. To. School. Tomorrow?" he spoke slowly and calmly.

"Yes," Kit insisted, "I do."

It was clear that Blake didn't believe her, but he released Kit's arms when she tried to turn around.

"I'm sorry," Kit said, rearranging the silverware once more, "I don't mean to be so snappy and rude and I'm sorry that I'm not...opening up about…stuff. It's just drama. Girl stuff, you know?"

"I can help with drama and girl stuff," Everly piped, "I-

"I should get Indi for dinner and I need to wash up," Kit said, smiling at her parents before she left the room.

Kit tried to ignore the sounds of her parents muttering to each other as she jogged up the stairs to get her sister. She wasn't even hungry, her stomach was in knots.

"Sweetheart," she knocked on Indigo's cracked door, "Dinner."

Indigo opened her door wider, beaming, "Okay, Kitty! C'mon!"

"In a minute," Kit promised, "I still need to wash up, but you head down."

Indigo scrunched up her nose, but nodded and left to make her way down the stairs.

Sighing heavily, Kit ran her hands through her hair and headed for her room. She was exhausted and just needed a minute to herself. That's all. Just a min-

She brought both her hands up to cover her mouth to hold in her shocked scream at seeing someone in her room, not wanting to alert her parents when she realized who it was.

Emmett looked up from his reclined position on Kit's bed, her worn copy of _A Girl of the Limberlost_ in his hands, and a lazy grin on his youthful face.

"Yo," he greeted raising a hand. He was in front of her in the blink of an eye, his hand going to cup her cheek, "Are you all right?"

"Fine," she mumbled, pushing past him to go lie down on her bed, "I'm just exhausted. How did you get in here?"

"The window," he pointed to the ajar window, going to sit at the edge of the bed, "You left it unlocked."

"Oh," Kit mumbled, flopping down onto her bed. She took a deep breath, "I see."

Emmett arched an eyebrow. He had heard the conversation downstairs between Kit and her parents. The attitude she had given the adults surprised him and looking at her now, she seemed different from when he had seen her earlier in the day.

And all because school had been mentioned.

Sighing, he moved his position to lie down next to Kit, both hands behind his head. They both barely fit on the mattress, but he paid it no mind.

"Do you want to talk?" he asked her quietly.

Kit shook her head and scooted closer to him, resting her head in the crook of his neck.

"I don't know," she whispered, blinking back tears.

He nodded, offering silent support as he pressed one of his hands to her back. Was there something going on at school that he wasn't aware of? That usually wasn't the case as both Edward and Alice kept the family of vampires well-updated about rumors and whispers in case anyone had grown suspicious. Emmett knew that Edward had read Kit's mind and he wondered if his younger brother was keeping something from him? Or maybe the bronze-haired boy was too fixated on watching Bella to pay attention to Kit. Most likely the second one.

Sure, he had heard rumors about Kit, but they were standard and ones that had been expected with her arrival: that she was weird, her clothes were ugly, her hair was choppy and awful. While thinking of them made him growl, he didn't think she was affected by them, but maybe she was more sensitive than he originally realized.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk?" he asked, his tone even gentler, "Did something happen?"

"No, I'm fine," she mumbled, "It's fine. I don't want to talk about it. It..."

He looked down, concerned by her slurred words and put off by her obvious denial, but then he saw her eyes start to droop and realized that she was falling asleep. Adjusting her positions slightly, he kissed her forehead.

"I'll stay, tonight," he told her quietly, "Sleep."

She nodded against him, already halfway gone.


	13. Same Song, Played About A Million Times

' _U make everyone's life SO miserable_. _End it_. _No one would miss you_.'

' _You think ur all that_ , _walking around school looking like a washed up rat_.'

' _You've been getting SO incredibly porky_. _How much do u weigh_? _200_?'

' _All those freckles_? _Looks like dirt on ur face_. _Dirty whore_.'

' _Do you let Emmett Cullen pass_ _you_ _around to all his siblings_?'

Kit frowned and bit her lip, hard, not allowing herself to cry. Not again. She exited the text messages and placed her phone down. She always kept the text messages. Just in case. For the day when she _finally_ got the courage to show someone.

That morning, she had felt refreshed when she had woken up, glad that her family had allowed her to sleep through dinner and happy that Emmett had stayed with her. With a kiss on the corner of her mouth, Emmett had left before the sun could fully rise, promising that he would come back again that night; if she desired.

She had appreciated that he hadn't questioned her odd mood from the night before. Thinking back on it, it was even strange to her that she had acted so cold and dismissive, brushing off both Emmett and her parents. She would need to apologize.

Then, her mood had spiraled downwards after taking a shower and reading the text messages. Tears burned her eyes and it seemed to be now apart of her morning routine. Kit woke up every morning with a pit in her stomach and the distressing thoughts of what would happen that day. She opened text messages, held back tears, and pretended that everything was great. She went to school, got called names, was shoved around, faked more smiles and held back more tears until she came home and received more texts or emails. Every. Single. Day.

It was exhausting.

Denial could only go so far and her positive attitude regarding the situation was starting to diminish. Would it _really_ blow over? Was all of this going to continue until she graduated? The rest of her life?

She stood in front of her mirror, now dressed only in her nude undergarments, turning this way and that, getting a good look at her body from all angles. Her breasts were small, barely a B-cup, but she had never minded their size as she continued to get older and the size worked well with the vintage clothes she wore.

She poked at her stomach and squeezed it, scrunching up her nose at the flesh between her fingers. Her body was hourglass shaped and the last time she had went to the doctor, she had weighed-in at 116 pounds. Sure, she was thin—average, but she wasn't fit and had no core, and that caused her stomach to stick out.

She squeezed the flesh harder, sniffling and allowing a few tears to drip down her cheeks and onto the carpet. She wiped them away before she moved her hands down to her thighs, pinching those as well and judging their size. They could definitely be slimmer, but they weren't fat. They were just…thighs.

Returning her gaze upwards, she brought her hands to her face. Her eyes were glassy with tears and she ran her fingertips over her cheeks. Her freckles were a lot darker than her actual skin tone and they covered both her nose and her cheeks. If the sun stayed, the dots would multiply. They already had spread further down her cheeks, almost reaching her jaw.

She turned around, trying to get a good look at the back of herself. Her butt was round, but small. Nothing too exciting. She tried to watch herself walk, but couldn't see anything. Did her thighs jiggle?

She jumped when there was a knock at her door and she covered herself with her hands before she ran to her dresser, throwing her dress over her head and managing to wipe the last bit of moisture from her eyes and face.

"Y-yes?" she called, struggling to find all the correct holes in her dress.

" _Are you up_ , _Kit_?" came her mother's voice, " _Can I come in_?"

"Um," Kit finally got the dress on and secured the belt before she picked up her comb. She checked her reflection one more time before she spoke, "Yes, come in."

"Hey, sweetheart," Everly smiled, looking nervous, "Good morning."

Kit spritzed some water into her hair as she tried to smooth it out, adding leave-in conditioner a moment later, "Morning. How did you sleep?"

Everly chuckled, going to smooth out Kit's dress. It was a lightweight white and green gingham print frock with a slim patent white belt around the waist.

"I should be asking you that," she countered, "No wonder you were so crabby, honey. You must have been exhausted. I came up here and you were still in your day clothes, conked out on your bed."

Kit slipped her feet into a pair of dark green butterfly cutout sandal heels with a double ankle strap before she addressed her mother, looking guilty, "I'm really sorry about that, mom. I'm sorry about the way I acted. It really wasn't okay and I didn't mean any of it."

"That's all right," Everly said gently, "Nevertheless, I appreciate the apology, thank you. Now, are you ready? There's a surprise for you downstairs."

"Another cellphone?" Kit guessed, a smile twitching her lips.

"You're awful," Everly laughed, "And I want you to eat a big breakfast since you skipped dinner. I packed you a bigger lunch, too."

"Okay," Kit switched her phone on vibrate before she slipped it in her satchel. She could go without a jacket as it was sunny, like it had been the day before.

Everly eyed her daughter warily, stopping just as they reaches the stairs, "Are you feeling okay, this morning?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Kit said, the response automatic.

Everly tilted her head to the side, "And you're sure you're up for school, today? You're really feeling all right?"

Kit nodded, smoothing out her dress again before she managed a small smile, blinking, "I'm fine. Really hungry," she added with a chuckle.

Everly smiled, nodding and took Kit's hand, leading her down the stairs and towards the kitchen, "Yes, I bet you are. I made blueberry pancakes, there's a fruit salad, toast. Have whatever you want. I don't want you getting low blood sugar or anything."

"Okay," Kit agreed, matching the smile, "Thanks, mom. You know blueberry pancakes are my fav-

She stopped then, at the entrance to the kitchen, her eyes widening at the sight before her. Sitting on the table, in a bright yellow ceramic pitcher was a mixed bouquet of large yellow sunflowers, light pink camellia's, baby's breath, and chicory blossoms.

"I don't even know where you can get sunflowers, here," Blake murmured, scrunching up his nose.

Indigo rushed forward and pulled Kit closer to the vase, "Come look, come look. Aren't they pretty? Huh, huh? Aren't they?"

Kit nodded, reaching out a hand and running her fingers over one of the petals. They were real.

"These are gorgeous," she breathed, once she found her voice, "Oh, wow. Good morning, by the way."

"Morning, Kit Kat," Blake gave a weary smile, "How are you feeling?"

Kit reluctantly turned her attention away from the flowers and hugged her father tightly, "Fine. I'm sorry about last night."

Blake rubbed her back, That's okay, Kit Kat," he kissed her head, "You must have been really tired. You slept through the night."

"Yes," Kit agreed, "I guess I was," she kissed Indigo's cheek and patted her head before she went back to the vase on the table, "So, the flowers? Who are they from?"

"Look at the tag," Everly gestured to the small white parchment dangling from the handle.

Kit flipped over the tag and she smiled widely at the name printed neatly in the 'from' box.

They were from Emmett.

"Wow," she repeated, her voice soft. She leaned in to smell them, "He sent me flowers?"

Everly hummed, a smile on her face as she watched her daughter carefully move the flowers to a spot on the counter near the home phone. She looked happy as she sniffed them once more and touched the pitcher, biting her lip shyly.

"Breakfast, now?" Indigo asked hopefully.

"Yes, honey," Blake was already putting together plates, "Kit, I want you to eat a little more."

"Yes, mom told me," Kit said, smiling. Seeing the flowers had definitely increased her mood, taking her mind off the text messages.

Breakfast conversation was light and cheerful, the sunshine that shone through the window seemed to have put everyone in a good mood.

After finishing the last of her scrambled eggs, Kit was full and stood up to bring her plate to the sink, "Do you want me to do the dishes?"

"No, you're going to be late," Blake glanced at the clock on the microwave, "You better get going."

"Just let me brush my teeth, again," Kit said, "I messed up my schedule, this morning."

In reality, she had taken up time to talk to Emmett, which she had greatly enjoyed, but her father was right, if she didn't hurry, she'd be late for first period.

She brushed and spit, making sure that there was no toothpaste on her dress and she went back downstairs, hugging and kissing her family goodbye.

"I still want to talk about last night when you get home," Blake said, "I said it was okay and accepted your apology, but I'm not going to let it go. Seriously, I want to talk."

"Mhm," Kit gave a quick nod, "Yes, okay, daddy. I understand. Indi, I'm leaving."

"Bye, Kitty," Indigo hugged her sister tightly, "I love you."

"I love you too," Kit kissed her cheek, "Have fun at school. Behave yourself and pay attention."

Indigo scowled and returned to helping her father clear the table.

"Don't forget to pick up your late assignments," Everly reminded.

"I won't," Kit promised, "Bye, I love you."

"I love you more," Everly said.

"Not possible," Kit called, hurrying to the front door.

"Yes, possible!" Everly called back.

Kit laughed to herself and slowed her pace when it came to walking down the porch steps, resuming her fast walk as she approached her car. She relaxed when she pulled out of the driveway. She was sure that she would make it to school on time, however she hesitated. Being late to school would decrease her chances of running into Lauren.

She rolled down the windows as she drove, wanting to get as much sun as possible. It was rare it Forks and she didn't want to miss it like she had the snowfall.

Kit parked in her usual spot, but Bella's car wasn't there. Though, Willa was waiting by her own car and ran to Kit when the brunette got out.

"Hey," Willa greeted, trying too hard to keep her voice casual, "You weren't here, yesterday."

"Hello," Kit smiled, hugging her friend, "Yes, I know. I'm sorry."

Willa shook her head, "You don't need to apologize. I was worried, though. Everything all right?"

"Fine," Kit said, biting her lip. The two began walking, "I didn't sleep well on Sunday. I basically stayed up all night and didn't think I'd make it at school."

"Oh," Willa nodded in understanding, "That makes sense. Are you sure you're okay?"

Kit chewed the nail on her pointer finger, looking at Willa, "Why does everyone keep asking me that? Do I look that bad?"

"No," Willa said quickly, "No, not at all. Forget I said anything. Tell me what's new in the Kit universe?"

Kit looked at Willa for a moment longer, then nodded, deciding to move on, "Emmett sent me flowers, this morning."

Willa gasped, "He did? What kind?"

Kit ducked her head, moving a strand of hair behind her ear, "Willa, I don't know..."

Willa laughed at her friend's embarrassment, "You do know. Tell me!"

"Sunflower, camellia's, chicory, and baby's breath," Kit said shyly, biting her lip, "They're really pretty."

"Take a picture with your phone and then show me, tomorrow?" Willa asked.

"Yes, that I can agree to," Kit raised her head, a blush still lightly dusting her cheeks, "I'm loving this sunshine."

"Me too," Willa tilted her face up, "I fell asleep outside, yesterday while helping my mom with the garden."

"That must have been nice," Kit said dreamily, "You like gardening?"

Willa nodded, "Yes, I love it. If I wasn't going to be a dancer, I think I would open my own flower shop or something," her smile teasing then and she giggled, "I'll give Emmett a discount."

"Ahahaha," Kit rolled her eyes, "Very very cute. I have to get to class, but I'll see you later."

She said a goodbye to Willa and continued on her way to the history building, remembering to collect her missed work. She hoped that she wouldn't be docked too many points, but she was sure she'd be able to catch up.

As soon as Kit entered the history building, she stopped short, unsure if she was surprised to see the entourage that was waiting for her. She had turned around and opened the door when a hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked her backwards.

"Get off of me!" she cried out, jerking out of Lauren's grip.

"But Kit," Lauren cried happily, "We've been waiting for you. We all _missed_ you, yesterday and were hoping you'd be here."

Jessica laughed, wrapping her arm tight around Kit's shoulders to keep her from moving, a smile on her face, "How's my little bitch doing? Good? Great!"

Kit stumbled when Jessica shoved her shoulder, but she did her best to ignore it. She stopped when Lauren stepped in front of her.

"I-I have to get to class, Lauren," she whispered.

"Aww, did you hear that?" Lauren said in a sing-song voice, "Guys she has to get to class," she turned back to Kit, narrowing her eyes, "Does it look like I give a crap if you have to get to class? Huh?"

"Lauren, please," Kit mumbled, trying to sidestep her, "Enough. Leave me alone, I have to-

"Shut up," Lauren snapped, shoving Kit backwards, "God, Kit. You just make my life _so_ miserable, did you know that? The world would be a better place without you. Really, no one would care."

Lauren's friends all made sounds of agreement.

"Are you done?" Kit demanded quietly, "Can I go now or…?" she trailed off, surprised that she had spoken.

"Little Kit found her voice," Ashley sneered.

"I'm asking you to stop this," Kit's voice shook and she winced when the girls laughed, "So, stop. I've done nothing wrong, so leave me alone."

Kit kept her lip between her teeth and her head down as Lauren finally let her pass without any further altercation. Kit was proud of herself. She had stood up for herself, hadn't she? Yes, that was a good thing. She wasn't going to be walked on anymore. At least, she hoped that she would continue to try and stand up for herself.

She took a deep breath and made it to her desk as the bell rang, managing to quell the shaking of her hands just as Katie walked in.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Angela asked, clearly disappointed.

"Mhm," Kit managed a weak smile as she walked towards her car, "Thank you for the invitation, though."

Both Bella and Angela had invited Kit to go dress shopping with them in Port Angeles multiple times, but Kit had declined upon learning that Jessica would be attending as well. Though her two other friends would be there, Kit had spent lunch, gym, and Spanish being bothered by Jessica and her other classes bothered by Jessica's friends. Kit knew that the girl would be kinder to her with witnesses around, but she couldn't handle it. It had been too long of a day.

"Okay," Angela slowed her pace, "But I really wish you'd go. I'll let you know if I see any cute dresses, okay?"

Kit nodded, "Okay, thanks Angela."

"Kit, wait."

"Hm?" Kit turned her head, pausing in opening her door.

"It's just," Angela frowned and tilted her head, "Jess and Lauren—well, they've been—ah, is everything okay with you guys?"

"Oh, yes," Kit nodded. She knew how close the three were and didn't want to mess that up, "Mhm, everything is fine."

Angela didn't look convinced, but nodded, "Okay," she drawled out, "I'll see you later, then."

"Definitely," Kit exhaled, climbing into her car.

The school days were really starting to wear on her and she had barely touched her lunch, having been called fat and porky any chance Lauren and her friends got. It seemed the small confrontation hadn't improved anything. It made Kit self-conscious.

She sniffled, blinking rapidly to force the tears from her eyes. Only three more days and she would get a whole week off.

When she arrived home, she took a moment to check her appearance in the visor mirror, making sure that she looked presentable. Satisfied, she left her car and went into the house, her shoulders relaxing at the peaceful feeling that always came over her. She just wanted her parents. Maybe they could all lie down and watch a movie before going to get Indigo from school.

"Mom?" she called as she always did. She cleared her throat, "Daddy? Are you home?"

"They went out to work."

A loud gasp left Kit's lips and she whirled around to see Emmett leaning casually against the closed door, his arms folded across his chest and a smirk on his face.

But upon seeing Kit, Emmett's lips turned down in a frown and he was in front of her in an instant, pinching her chin gently between his thumb and pointer finger, tilting her face up.

"Have you been crying?" he asked gently.

"No," Kit forced a laugh, "No, not at all. Hello to you too."

Emmett chuckled and pulled Kit into a hug, "Hey, babe," he greeted, kissing the top of her head.

Kit's heart skipped at the nickname and she hugged Emmett back, struggling to wrap her arms all the way around his large frame.

"Hey," she said with a small smile. She hadn't expected Emmett to be in her home, but was glad he was, "I saw the flowers, this morning. Thank you so much. They're beautiful."

Emmett pulled away, grinning, "I thought you would like them. I was hoping they would brighten up your day."

Kit took Emmett's hand and led him into the kitchen, "They did. Where did you find sunflowers?"

"A magical place," Emmett said dramatically.

Kit snorted, "I should have known."

Emmett's smile faltered again and he ran his hand through Kit's hair.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, "You seem upset about something. Last night, too."

"Oh," Kit cringed at the memory, "Oh, yes. That happened...I'm sorry that you had to hear that."

Emmett shook his head, taking a seat and pulling Kit into his lap. His body shook with a light chuckle and he wrapped his arms around her middle.

"Tell me about this girl drama," he prodded.

"It's nothing," Kit laughed, shivering at the temperature of his skin, "Clothes, hair, and stuff. It's boring, really. You wouldn't be interested in it."

"You get an 'A' for trying, but you're an awful liar," Emmett muttered, "Did you know that?"

Kit sighed, twisting to look at Emmett, "Can we not talk about it?" she asked quietly, "Please?"

Emmett nodded slowly. He was going to drop it, but he would definitely start paying more attention to Kit at school. Sure, they had no classes together and that made things a little more difficult, but he was sure that he would hear something through the grapevine.

He didn't need to have Jasper's gift to know that something was wrong with Kit. She still had a smile on her face, but it was forced. Usually, she would be bouncing all over the room. The sun paled in comparison to Kit's happiness, but that hadn't been the case lately.

"Will you stay tonight?" she asked hopefully.

"Mhm, if you want," Emmett smirked, "I told you I would. Miss me that much, baby?"

Kit rolled her eyes and dug through her school satchel to find her lunch, "You wish. Do you mind if I eat?"

"Not at all," Emmett said, "You didn't eat at lunch?"

"Wasn't up for it," Kit said quietly, taking a bite of her tomato and mozzarella sandwich.

Emmett frowned, rubbing Kit's shoulder as she ate. It had been awhile since he had been human, but he was pretty sure that they needed to eat constantly.

"Are you getting sick?" he asked, "Carlisle's home; I can take you to see him."

"No, no doctors," Kit shook her head, scrunching her nose when Emmett touched her forehead, "I'm fine."

"Hey!" she squealed when his nose brushed her neck, almost jumping off of his lap, "What are you doing!? Why are you smelling me?"

"I'm checking to see if I can smell anything off with your blood," Emmett mumbled, pulling away, "I didn't go to medical school like Edward, Rosie, or Carlisle, but I'm not stupid and I've picked up a few things."

"Emmett, I'm fine," Kit insisted, moving so that she sat sideways on his lap, "Please," she begged, "Just…leave it."

That said, she turned back and resumed eating, her shoulders relaxing when she felt Emmett relax beneath her.

"I appreciate your concern," she said honestly, "I do, but it's been a very long day and," she swallowed thickly, "Tell me what happens if you eat human food."

"Tell you—what?" Emmett blinked.

"Human food," Kit repeated, picking at her sandwich, "What happens if you eat it?"

It took a moment for Emmett to respond. Obviously, he knew the answer, but the sudden deflection caught him off guard and he wasn't sure if he should give into it or not.

"Um, Kit, I-" he sighed and then gave in, laughing softly, "It's not something you want to know."

"I do," Kit insisted, opening her water bottle.

"We can't digest human food," Emmett said, "But if it draws too much attention, we'll suck it up and eat it. We cough it up later."

Kit's eyes widened and she twisted to look at him again, "Do you really?"

Emmett nodded, then grinned, gesturing towards her lunch, "Want to see?"

"Gross!" Kit shoved his shoulder playfully, scrunching her nose, "No thank you."

After Kit finished her lunch, she got up from Emmett's lap and went to throw her trash away. She hesitated on her way back to him and turned on her heel, opening the fridge and took out a plate of seasoned chicken breasts, large tortillas and a bag of mixed shredded cheese.

She gasped, almost dropping the bagged vegetables in her hands, startled by Emmett's sudden appearance.

"It's going to take some time to get used to that," she told him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, following her movements with his eyes.

"Cooking dinner," Kit pulled out a large glass pan, "To apologize for last night."

Emmett folded his arms across his chest, "They haven't forgiven you?"

"They have," Kit opened a nearby cabinet, "But this is just in case."

"Would you like help?" Emmett offered.

Kit giggled and gave him an odd look as she washed her hands, "Vampires cook?"

Emmett gave a lopsided grin and shrugged, "I might burn your house down, but I can try."

Kit laughed, "I'll give you something easy, then," Kit pushed the plate of chicken towards Emmett, "Can you shred those into strips?"

Emmett nodded and did as he was told, "What's this supposed to be?"

"Chicken enchiladas, spinach for me," Kit said, coating the bottom of the pan with enchilada sauce, "And rice pilaf."

Emmett wrinkled his nose in distaste, "That sounds disgusting."

"To you, I'm sure," Kit smirked, "What do you eat?"

It was Emmett's turn to give her a weird look, "Didn't we go over this?"

Kit shook her head and added the rice to the heated saucepan, "I mean, what's your favorite animal to...drink from?"

"Grizzly bear," Emmett said with a mischievous smile, "What else would it be?"

The home phone rang before Kit could respond and she looked down at her hands that was covered in bits of chopped vegetable, cheese, and sauce.

"I've got it," Emmett said, darting over to the phone. He picked it up, "Hello? Algren residence."

Kit smiled and went over to the sink to wash her hands off, halfheartedly listening to Emmett give short answers to the other person at the end of her line. She didn't think it was her parents as they hardly used their cellphones, but if it was, then she would definitely have some explaining to do as why Emmett was answering the phone.

When Emmett hung up, Kit turned to him, "Who was that?"

"Jessica Stanley," Emmett said, going back to rolling up enchiladas.

Kit paused in drying off her hands and she let the rag fall to the ground, "What?"

"Something about dress sh-

" _Why_ would you talk to her?" Kit demanded, whirling around to face him, "What are you—I can't even-

She cut herself off when her throat tightened and she turned her back on Emmett when hot tears welled up in her eyes. She raked a hand through her hair, dinner long forgotten. Jessica had called and Emmett had answered. She could only imagine the things going through Jessica's mind—the things she would tell Lauren and the text messages she would get. It was going to get worse.

"Whoa, Kit," Emmett said, his eyes widening a little at her reaction, "What's the big deal? She was talking about _dress_ shopping. I'm sure she knows that we're dating. Everyone does."

Kit bit her lip, hard and shook her head, going back to check on the rice. That was one good thing. Emmett had finally said it. They were dating.

"I-I'm sorry that I yelled at you," she choked out, "That wasn't right."

"Hey, I can take it," Emmett said softly, "Go ahead and yell."

Kit shook her head again, her tears starting to blur her vision. She felt bad that Lauren had started to include the Cullen's in her insults. The family was talked about enough.

"Babe..." Emmett pulled Kit into his arms and rubbed her back, "What's wrong?"

"You don't understand," Kit whimpered, burrowing her face in Emmett's shirt. She took a shaky breath, trying to keep her tears from falling, "I can't tell you. It's too embarrassing, but...I don't know what I did wrong."

That only served to confuse Emmett even further, but he didn't press for more information, choosing instead to press his lips to the top of Kit's head as she began to cry.

* * *

Blake and Everly went into Kit's room, startled by the darkness. They flicked on the light, only to see Kit curled up under her blankets. She was facing them, but her eyes were closed.

"Kit?" Blake called softly, walking closer. He touched the side of her hair, "Hey, Kit Kat?"

"Blake, she's sleeping," Everly hissed, "Leave her be."

"Okay, okay," Blake sighed, leaning down and pressing his lips to her temple, "Thanks for cooking dinner."

Everly chuckled, "Are you expecting her to answer?"

"Look at her eyes," Blake pointed, "She's been crying."

"We'll talk to her in the morning," Everly promised, placing a hand on Blake's shoulder, "She looks exhausted. There was a plate in the sink which means she ate. Let's let her rest. Indigo will want to come up here if we don't go back downstairs."

Blake nodded and took one last look at Kit before he left the room with his wife, turning off the light and closing the door.

As soon as their footsteps descended down the stairs, Kit's eyes fluttered open she she sat up, the comforter falling from her body.

Emmett appeared next to her bedside and he touched her cheek before darting over to the other side, taking a seat next to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Emmett," Kit protested, laughing softly when he pulled her close, her head tucked under his chin, "You're freezing."

Emmett wrapped her comforter around her shoulders, "Are you planning on feigning sleep forever?"

"Thinking about it," she mumbled. She hummed, "You smell nice."

"Kit," Emmett sighed, "Stop trying to change the subject. What's going on?"

After he had comforted Kit for a good twenty minutes, she wiped her tears and continued to prepare dinner, waving off his attempts to get her to talk. She was fine, she had told him, just worried about school and her grades. She had mentioned Julliard again and he hadn't bothered to hold back his eye roll. He was sick of that excuse.

"Nothing," she insisted, "I'm fine."

"You're not," he pulled away and held her back by her shoulders, "Why were you crying? What's going on with Jessica?"

He felt Kit stiffen under his hands and heard her heartbeat increase. He had her.

"Please," he begged, shaking her gently, "Talk to me. I hate seeing you so upset."

Kit bit her lip, "I—um, she's been asking me…about you—us," she corrected, "And I wasn't sure what to say. I know she talks about your family a lot and—spreading rumors and stuff."

"About you and I?" Emmett pushed.

"Kind of," Kit said, debating whether or not to backpedal, "About…what we are," she finished lamely, biting her lip, "That's all."

"What we are?" Emmett asked with a hint of a smile, "That's what's been upsetting you? Stupid rumors?"

Kit's blood ran cold and she bit her lip harder, trying to keep the hurt off her face. Stupid? Emmett thought it was stupid? Yes, she hadn't really told him the whole truth about the rumors, but there _were_ rumors about them circulating.

What was Emmett going to say if he did find out about what Lauren and her clique were saying to Kit? About the bullying? Would he think that was stupid too? Was she overreacting?

Emmett breathed a sigh of relief, snapping Kit out of her thoughts. He stroked her cheek with icy fingers, "What we are is _none_ of their business. We're taking it slow and if they can't handle that, I'll kick their asses."

"Emmett," Kit scolded with a small laugh, grabbing his hand, "Watch your mouth. You're not going to beat up anyone. That's awful."

"Whatever you say, babe, whatever you say," Emmett snickered.

Kit smiled, leaning her head on his hard shoulder, "Thank you. For being here."

"I'll always be here," Emmett promised, rubbing her arm.

"Always, huh?" Kit chuckled, "That's a pretty big commitment."

"Too fast?" Emmett suddenly looked worried and he stopped the motion on her arm, "I suppose I shouldn't have just showed up in your house. I should've asked."

"Emmett, Emmett," Kit sat up so that she could face him, "Hey, it's fine. I was actually really glad to see you after school and I'm glad to have you here, now."

She held his hand to reassure him, grateful that he had checked-in with her. Everything between them was fine and she didn't think they were moving too fast. They...they hadn't even kissed on the _lips_ or anything.

"What are you thinking about?" Emmett asked curiously when he saw her face flush.

"Nothing!" Kit insisted quickly, "It's," she cleared her throat, "Really warm in here. I'm going to change into my pajamas, stay here, if you want," she added before hurrying into the bathroom.

The amused smile fell from Emmett's face and he sighed heavily, pulling out Edward's cellphone that he had borrowed. He would need to get one of his own.

Pressing a button on the speed dial, he waited patiently. Though, not for long.

" _Hello_ , _Emmett_ ," Alice greeted, " _To what do I owe this pleasure_?"

"Alice," Emmett begged, speaking in a tone that Kit wouldn't be able to hear, "Anything?"

Alice sighed, " _No_ , _nothing_. _It's still very blurry_. _The fact that I'm getting anything at all is a good sign_. _It means she might still have a future_. _Maybe_..."

" _Just not with us_ ," Jasper finished for his wife, his voice clear in the background.

It was silent for awhile and Emmett tried to get himself to speak, knowing that Kit would emerge from the bathroom any second.

"W-what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he choked out, " _Just not with us_ ," he quoted, his voice imitating Jasper's Southern twang perfectly, " _Might still have a future_ ," he imitated Alice, now.

" _Perhaps she'll want to remain human_ ," Jasper supplied.

" _And_ ," Alice spoke up, " _I'm also hoping the blurriness is due to a really big decision that hasn't been made yet and once that's happened_ , _her future might start to clear up_."

"Might!?" Emmett growled, "Alice, Jesus Christ."

" _I'm trying my best_ ," Alice snapped, " _Okay_ , _that's all I can do is try my best to keep an eye on her_ , _but it's hard when everything about Kit is blurry_!"

"Okay, I get it, I'm sorry," Emmett said, "Really, I appreciate you trying and I shouldn't be snapping at you."

" _No_ , _you shouldn't_ ," Alice agreed. She paused, " _How is she doing_?"

"…I don't know," Emmett said honestly, "She says that she's fine, so…" he shrugged, "I don't know," he repeated.

" _It'll be okay_ , _Emmett_ ," Alice soothed, " _You know_ , _maybe it's nothing_? _Maybe Kit can somehow block out my gift like Bella does with Edward_."

"Thanks, Al," Emmett said sincerely, "I have to go. We'll talk more when I get home."

" _Okay_. _Bye_."

"Bye," Emmett slipped the cellphone back into his pocket when he saw Kit came out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of pastel yellow pajama pants and a matching tank top.

"Hey," Kit greeted with a shy smile, "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Emmett promised, scooting over so that Kit could climb into bed, "Did you know th—what happened?"

"To what?" Kit looked at him, confused, "What are you talking about?"

Emmett lifted Kit's hand, showing her the dark bruise on her wrist. He lightly brushed his fingers over it, "What happened?"

"Nothing," Kit said, pulling her hand away and putting it under the covers, "I must have bumped it on something."

She snuggled under the blankets, wrapping herself in them before cozying up to Emmett, her head on her pillow.

"Tired?" Emmett asked.

Kit nodded. It was still pretty early, but she was always tired nowadays. Maybe Emmett was right. Perhaps she was coming down with a cold or something.


	14. All My Secrets Away, All My Secrets Away

It was unusually foggy the next day, the air thick with it from what Kit could see outside her window. She pulled the curtain closed and grabbed her sweater, yanking it over her head as she rushed down the stairs.

Her sweater was light pink and open knit with a solid heart woven into the front and a matching tank top underneath. She wore it with a pair of high-waisted elastic blue jeans, and a pair of four-inch simple black booties. She wore a black beret atop her head. It was more casual than she was used to, but she had woken up late.

Though the Cullen's would be returning and Emmett would be picking her up, she was not looking forward to school. She never did, anymore.

"Morning mom, daddy," she greeted with a smile.

"Morning, Kit Kat," Blake grinned, "How did you sleep?"

"Great," Kit said honestly, "A lot better."

"Good," Everly kissed her daughter's forehead, "And thank you for dinner, last night. It was delicious."

"No problem," Kit glanced around the kitchen, "Where's, Indi?"

Blake pointed to the calendar magnetized to the fridge, "There's some kind of teacher training? Yes, a teacher training. So, the kids don't have school."

"Lucky her," Kit mumbled, "And only a couple more days until Spring Break too."

"Mhm," Everly hummed, "Kit, speaking of school, we wanted to talk to you about that."

"Oh?" Kit asked, taking a seat at the table, "What about it?"

"Well, we wanted to talk to you yesterday, but you were sleeping," Blake said seriously, "Don't think we forgot about your little attitude the other day. Because of school?"

"Oh, yes," Kit mumbled, "That. Again, I'm really sorry, but it all got worked out. Everything is fine, now."

Blake arched an eyebrow, "Oh? Is that so?"

Kit sighed, running her stubby fingernails over the sleek tabletop, "Yes. Emmett and I. Just…our relationship status."

"And what _is_ your relationship status?" Everly asked, sounding much like her husband.

"Slow," Kit said, her cheeks burning, "We're taking it slow."

"Good," Blake nodded in approval, "I like that…what else is going on?"

Kit shrugged, sighing again, "I've been sad about Willa. You know, she's starting half-days after Spring Break. Not even half-days. She'll be leaving after third period."

"What?" Everly gasped, "Why?"

"You know she wants to be a professional dancer," Kit sighed, scratching her arm, "And she needs more time for dance. Well, that's what her teacher says. She's going to be doing the rest of her schoolwork at home. She wanted to do full-time home-schooling, but her parents want her to wait and see if this is som-

"You're rambling," Blake cut in gently.

"Oh," Kit took a deep breath, "Sorry. Anyway, that will be happening. I'll still see her, but..." she shrugged, "It's fine. We'll still have second and third hour together."

Blake nodded and placed a spinach omelet in front of Kit. His daughter had taken to showering first, getting dressed, eating, and then brushing her teeth. It was an odd routine, but he didn't comment on it.

"And that's _really_ what's been upsetting you lately?" Blake asked, tilting his head to the side. Something was off, "Emmett and Willa?"

"Part of it," Kit answered honestly, "Daddy, I just—I _don't_ want to talk about it. Things we'll get better after Spring Break, okay?"

With that said, she cut off a large piece of her omelet and took a bite.

"I'm sorry that I'm being so awful," Kit took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, "High school's different here. You know, everyone grew up together. Ms. Cope even said that these kids' grandparents went to school together."

"Bella's new," Blake pointed out.

"Yes, but I'm not Bella, daddy," Kit tried to keep the irritation out of her voice, "She's popular and everyone was excited for her to come. She's the Chief's daughter. They were waiting for her arrival."

"Kit..." Everly sighed softly, "You've never worried about this stuff before. You've always danced to your own beat. Now you want to fit in?"

"I've never had a preference," Kit said, "I like who I am, I like my clothes and my personality. We talked about this, mom, but—I don't care about fitting in..."

' _I just don't want people to hate me_ ,' she finished in her head, ' _Or tell me how miserable my existence makes them_.'

"School is really tough, Kit," Blake straddled a chair, "You know, your mother was my only friend my Junior year. Did you know that?"

"What?" Kit almost choked, "Are you serious?"

"Dead," Blake nodded, "Being a boy who was into painting and art?" he snorted, "Forget it. Everyone thought I was weird. You know, I flunked gym."

"They thought you were weird?" Kit repeated, "And they made fun of you?"

"All the time," Blake sighed. He laughed, "You know, you're mother-

"All right, Blake," Everly slapped a hand over her husband's mouth, "That's enough reminiscing and I'm pretty sure that's a story for another time," reluctantly she removed her hand and addressed her daughter, "The point is, that—well, we understand what it's like to be in high school and not fit in, okay?"

Kit nodded, feeling better as she finished her breakfast, "Okay. Thanks, mom, daddy. That helps."

"Anything else that you want to tell us before heading off to school?" Everly asked, taking Kit's plate to the sink.

"Nothing that I can think of," Kit kissed her father's cheek, "But you'll both be the first to know if I can think of anything. I'm going to go upstairs and brush my teeth."

Blake watched his daughter and once he was sure that she was out of earshot, he turned to face his wife, "What do you think, Ev?"

"I'm not sure," Everly bit her lip, "She did open up to us—a little bit and maybe that's what's _really_ bothering her. Rumors can get annoying and you know what? Maybe she is talking to someone. Willa or even Emmett. What teenager tells their parents everything? She's at that age, now. Isn't that what best friends and boyfriends are for? To talk about how lame we are?"

"Hey!" Blake protested, wrapping his arms around Everly, "We are not lame."

Everly chuckled, "Of course not, honey, but you know what I mean."

"Mhm," Blake sighed, pressing his lips firmly to Everly's. Just as he settled his hands on Everly's hips, there was a knock at the door.

Everly pulled away, kissing Blake quickly, "I'll get it."

She went to the door and opened it, smiling widely at the person standing on her porch.

"Emmett," she greeted, "Good morning, how are you?"

"I'm well, good morning," Emmett responded, walking into the house, "How are you?"

Everly exhaled softly, "All right," she placed a hand on his arm, "I wanted to ask you something. About Kit."

Emmett frowned, "What about her?"

"I simply wanted to ask if she's been... _talking_ to you," Everly spoke carefully, "You don't need to tell me details, but Blake and I have been worried about her. Have you noticed anything off?"

"No," Emmett said smoothly, "Not at all," he fidgeted, pretending to try and remember, "She keeps mentioning an art school. Julliard? Yeah, she's been really stressed about that. She wants everything to be perfect when it's time to audition."

"Ah, okay," Everly seemed to relax at that, "Yes, believe me, Blake and I hear about Julliard quite often. I think she's worried that in a couple years, Willa will get in and she won't, but she doesn't need to think like that. Have you heard her play?"

"No," Emmett shook his head, offering Blake a smile.

"Oh, it's wonderful," Everly said dreamily, "And you know, Willa's starting half-days after Spring Break."

Emmett nodded. He had know about that, already, having heard Willa gush to Kit about it last week, her eyes filled with tears of joy and disbelief that her teachers really believed that she had the potential to be a principle dancer.

"Hello, Emmett," Blake greeted, shaking his hand.

"Blake," Emmett nodded, "How are you?"

"Good and yourself?"

"Great," Emmett answered, "Do you mind if I give Kit a ride to school, today?"

"Not at all," Blake said, "In fact, I bet seeing you will brighten up her mood. She's been down in the dumps, lately."

"So I've heard..." Emmett muttered.

Proving Blake right, as soon as Kit came back downstairs, her eyes lit up even though she had seen him last night, "Good morning, Emmett," she said shyly.

"Morning," he smiled and kissed the top of her head, "Would you like to ride with me, today?"

She looked at her parents for approving nods before she turned back to Emmett and accepted his offer.

"Was Indigo up?" Blake asked, hugging Kit.

"Sound asleep," Kit told him, "Let her know that I want to spend Saturday with her. Maybe go walk on the beach if it isn't too cold."

"Okay," Blake nodded, "Will do."

"Bye, Kit Kat," Everly hugged her tightly, "Have a nice day."

Kit smiled weakly, "I will. I love you."

Everly returned the smile, "I love you more."

"Not possible."

"Yes, possible," Everly chuckled, "Go on. We'll see you after school."

Kit nodded and accepted the hand that Emmett held out, walking in-step beside him as they went out the front door.

The mist was ice cold and Kit skipped to the passenger side of the same dark silver car that she had seen when Emmett first picked her up.

As soon as the car started, Emmett cranked up the heater and pulled out of the driveway, "Huh, you're not freaking out, this time."

"Freaking out?" she questioned, "About what?"

"I increased to eighty-five," Emmett pointed to the speedometer.

"What's the fastest you've gone?" Kit asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"Over one hundred," Emmett shrugged, "What's the fastest you've gone?"

"The speed limit," Kit laughed.

"Oh, Kit," Emmett sighed dramatically, "Live on the dangerous side, a little."

"I'm dating a vampire," Kit pointed out, "Is that not living on the dangerous side?"

Emmett winced, clutching the steering wheel tighter, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

* * *

Edward sat casually in his chair in Spanish class, not even paying attention as Mrs. Goff began. He was prepared to be entertained. Bella had so kindly pointed out to him that he had never seen her in action during gym and now, he planned too.

Mike's thoughts were easy to pinpoint and he was just in time to hear him offer to be Bella's partner.

The smile faded from his face and he clenched his teeth together, ignoring the weird look Emmett sent him. He had to constantly remind himself that murdering Mike Newton was not an option.

" _Thanks_ , _Mike_ — _you don't have to do this_ , _you know_."

" _Don't worry_ , _I'll keep out of your way_."

They grinned at each other, and flashes of numerous accidents—always in some way connected to Bella flashed through Mike's head.

Mike played alone at first, while Bella hesitated on the back half of the court, holding her racket gingerly, as if it was some kind of weapon. Then Coach Clapp ambled by and ordered Mike to let Bella play.

' _Uh oh_ ,' Mike thought as Bella moved forward with a sigh, holding her racket at an awkward angle.

Jennifer Ford served the birdie directly toward Bella with a smug twist to her thoughts. Mike saw Bella lurch toward it, swinging the racket yards wide of her target, and he rushed in to try to save the volley.

Edward watched the trajectory of Bella's racket with alarm. Sure enough, it hit the taut net and sprung back at her, clipping her forehead before it spun out to strike Mike's arm with a resounding thwack.

' _Ow_ ,' Mike thought, ' _Ow_. _Ungh_. _That's going to leave a bruise_.'

Bella was kneading her forehead and Edward clutched his desk. It was hard for him to stay in his seat where he belonged. Bella was hurt and he longed to go to her aid, but what could he do if he were there? She seemed okay, but, he decided if Coach Clapp continued to force Bella to play, he was going to think of some excuse to get her out of gym class.

The coach laughed. " _Sorry_ , _Newton_."

' _Whew_ ,' the coach thought, ' _That girl's the worst jinx I've ever seen_. _Shouldn't inflict her on the others_...

He turned his back deliberately and moved to watch another game so that Bella could return to her former spectator's role.

' _Ow_ ,' Mike thought again, massaging his arm. He turned to Bella. " _Are you okay_?"

" _Yeah_ , _are_ _you_?" she asked sheepishly, blushing.

" _I think I'll make it_ ," Mike promised.

' _Don't want to sound like a crybaby_ ,' he thought, ' _But_ , _man_ , _that hurts_!'

Mike swung his arm in a circle, wincing.

" _I'll just stay back here_ ," Bella said, embarrassment and chagrin on her face rather than pain.

' _Stupid whore_. _Not even pretty_. _Ugly fat bitch_! _But Mike likes me_ , _now_. _So there_ , _Kit_ …'

The vulgar thought caught Edward by surprise. It was so angry and loud that he couldn't help but overhear it. He blinked unnecessarily to compose himself. He wanted to go back to watching Bella...he _needed_ to, but he stayed in Jessica Stanley's mind, remembering Emmett's worry from the day before. He could do this for Emmett, considering his older brother had helped him with his plan regarding Angela and Ben.

" _Kit_ , _thanks_ _ **so**_ _much for being on a team with me_!" Lauren gushed.

' _I didn't_ ,' Kit thought, ' _You grabbed me_.'

Even from Kit's thoughts, Edward could tell she was close to tears.

' _Do I want to ask what I did wrong_?' Kit thought, ' _No_ , _no_ , _that'll make things worse_ , _I can't do that_. _Ugh_ , _I'm so stupid_ , _who even thinks like that_? _They'll probably just laugh at me_. _Like always_.'

" _Heard Emmett Cullen was at your house_ , _yesterday_ ," Lauren hissed, " _You ugly little whore_. _How many people do you need to shack up with_? _Maybe I should warn Emmett_. _You might give him something_."

' _Again with this_?" came Kit's anguished thoughts as she twirled her racket, ' _That's an awful thing to say and it's getting old_. _How is she so casual about it_?'

" _You're no fun_ , _Kit_ ," Lauren pouted, " _You just stand there_. _Don't think this is going to get better_ , _bitch_. _I know you pushed Jessica._ _You think you can just get away with that_!?"

Edward's eyes widened as he went back and forth between Lauren, Jessica, and Kit's thoughts. After checking-in on Bella, he glanced at Emmett and his brother glanced back.

' _You look terrible dude_ ," Emmett flicked his eyebrows up, ' _What's going on_?'

"K-Kit," Edward said in a voice that only Emmett could hear, "She's...being...completely _tormented_. Did you know that?"

It wasn't like him to tell other people's business. He was someone who didn't believe telling other people's stories, but this was different. This was something that someone needed to know and Edward wasn't going to go and tell Kit's parents. Kit didn't want them to know. She was trying to protect them.

Edward's hand shot out to rest firmly on Emmett's shoulder. He wasn't even a quarter as strong as his brother, but he hoped the physical connection would keep Emmett in his place. Edward understood the wanting to go run to the aid of a human as he had felt exactly that only moments ago.

"Remember where we are," he said in the same quiet voice. After a moment, he lowered his hand just in time for Mrs. Goff to start handing out papers for a quiz.

' _We finish this damn quiz_ , _leave early_ , _and then you're telling me_ _ **EVERYTHING**_!' Emmett shouted in his head, ignoring Edward's grimace.

"She ran out of class," Edward told him. He wasn't used to being inside Kit's head and lost track of her thoughts, "She's probably changing in the locker room."

Edward left Emmett to his livid and confused thoughts, breezing through the quiz with ease. Though, Emmett finished before him and was handing in his paper before Edward even put his pencil away. He was lucky that the humans were so focused on their own papers to notice how fast Emmett had been moving.

Mrs. Goff accepted the paper, "¿Estás bien, Emmett?"

"Sí, Sra. Goff," Emmett said quickly, "May I go?"

"Si, si," Mrs. Goff waved him off towards the door, accepting Edward's paper a second later.

"You have three seconds to talk," Emmett growled as he and Edward walked across campus.

"I overheard Jessica's thoughts," Edward said with a sigh, "Lauren's and Kit's. Think of everything Rosalie has ever called me and double it. That is what they are saying to Kit. Calling her vulgar and demeaning names, saying that she's sleeping with everyone, pushing and tripping her-

"Tripping her?" Emmett cried through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowing.

"That day she came out wearing Willa's shirt?" Edward waited for Emmett to nod, "Lauren purposely ran into her. They've all been text messaging her and sending her emails. That's most likely the reason why Jessica called yesterday and why Kit was so upset when you answered. She thinks it's going to get worse."

"Names, kid," Emmett demanded, "I want names."

"Lauren, Jessica, Katie Marshall, and Ashley Dowling," Edward said.

"How long?"

"Since she moved here," Edward told him, slowing his pace once he got close to the gym, "Kit will be out soon. She...was crying."

Emmett nodded and Edward tried his best to tune out Emmett's thoughts. They were so murderous, they would make Jasper cringe.

* * *

Kit dropped her racket, letting it clatter noisily to the floor. She didn't spare anyone a glance as she ran out of the gym and into the locker room, ignoring the calls of the coach and the snickers she could hear.

She went to her locker and ripped off her gym clothes, tears welled up in her eyes that she had to continue wiping away. She refused to let them fall and wouldn't give Lauren the satisfaction that she had made Kit cry.

Having left class before it was over would be hard to explain to her parents, but she'd think of something.

She sniffled and went over to the mirror to check her reflection. No tear tracks, no bloodshot eyes, or red rings. Good, no signs that she had been crying.

Shouldering her school satchel, she left the locker room, shivering at the cool air that hit her exposed skin. She'd have to wait for Emmett to get out of class so that he could take her home.

She beamed as soon as she saw him and smiled politely at Edward, "Hello, Emmett. Hello, Edward."

Edward gave a curt nod of his head before he left, going to stand somewhere else.

Confused, Kit looked up at Emmett, "Is he all right?"

"He's great," Emmett said dismissively, "How was class?"

"It was fine," Kit told him, "We play-

"Don't. Lie. To. Me."

Kit was startled at Emmett's dark tone and she was sure that it showed in the frown on her face.

"Why are you talking to me like that?" she asked, worried, "Did I do something?"

Emmett took a deep breath and clenched his fist, "No," he managed to grind out, "Why did you leave class early?"

"Why did you?"

" _Kit_!" Emmett snapped, making her jump.

"You're scaring me," Kit said, placing a hand over her heart, "Can you just tell me what I did wrong? I'll apologize."

Emmett took another deep breath, focusing on Kit's scent and reveling the burn in his throat,"Give me a minute. I'm sorry."

Another deep breath and he forced his body to relax. Slowly, he reached a hand out to cup Kit's cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone.

"I'm sorry," he said again, his eyes soft, "I should have known. It was obvious, wasn't it? About Lauren and the others."

Kit froze, "What are you talking-

"You know what I'm talking about," Emmett interrupted, "The text messaging, the emails, the name-calling. They've been-

"Don't," Kit bit her lip and shook her head, "Stop."

Emmett sighed and dropped his hand, allowing Kit to hang her head.

"I don't want to talk about it," she whispered, "I don't know how you found out, but I _don't_ want to talk about it."

"Kit, she's harassing you," Emmett said disbelievingly, "Are you kidding me? Tell the principal, your parents. They'll-

"It will make things worse," Kit ran a hand through her hair, "They'll be called into the principal's office, get a warning, and that'll be it. They'll be furious. Can we go now? Please?"

Emmett shook his head, "You can switch your schedule. I bet I can get Carlisle-

Kit sniffled and wiped her eyes, " _Please_ don't get him involved," she begged, "Can we just—can we go before the bell rings? Please?"

Emmett felt bad about what he was about to say, but spoke, "Will you answer some of my questions, then?"

Kit pursed her lips. _She didn't want to talk about it_. Why couldn't anyone wrap their heads around that? She hated it. She didn't want to be negative or get teary-eyed like she so often found herself. It made her feel awful. She didn't want Emmett or anyone trying to "fix it" or constantly ask what had occurred that day and make her relive everything again. No, she couldn't handle that. She could barely handle what was already occurring.

More tears welled up in her eyes and she cleared her throat, shaking her head, "I-

"Kit!"

Stone arms wrapped around her and she flinched, reluctantly turning to face Alice and Jasper. She tried to change her mood, focusing on things that made her happy. She didn't want to hurt him.

"Hello," she greeted quietly.

"Thank, guys," Emmett rolled his eyes, "Really great timing. Fantastic."

Seeing Kit's appearance, Alice frowned, letting go, "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I'm tired," Kit said, rubbing her eyes. She looked at Emmett, "I'm going to have my dad come get me, okay?"

She didn't wait for a response, but touched his arm as she hurried off, pulling her phone from the front pocket of her satchel.

Alice stared, baffled, before she met eyes with her brother, "Oh no, what did you do?" she demanded.

Emmett glared, "What did _I_ do? I didn't do anything! Were you aware of this? Were you and Edward tag-teaming again while the rest-

Calm washed over Emmett and he closed his eyes, his shoulders relaxed as he felt the tension leave his muscles as his breathing evened out against his will.

"That's better," Jasper mumbled.

"Tell me what happened," Alice prompted once more, "Why would Edward and I be tag-teaming against Kit?"

"She's being bullied...harassed by some of the girls that go here," Emmett said. He ran a hand over his face, "And she won't talk to me."

Alice's mouth made and 'o' shape and she nodded, "That would explain why she's been so upset. Have you talked to her parents?"

"I don't think they know," Emmett said, "They wouldn't continue to send her back here if they did."

Jasper winced at the emotion his brother was pushing back at him, "It's that bad?"

"From what Edward told me," Emmett said, "He caught Jessica's thoughts during their gym class."

Alice's eyes turned blank for a moment and when she came back, she sighed.

"Still nothing," she sighed, "But I'll try my best to keep my eye on her. Jazz?"

"Her emotions are the same," Jasper said, "There's some force behind the happiness, but it's all I can pick up."

Emmett hummed and turned just in time to see Kit's father pull up. He wouldn't tell Kit's parents, of course. He could never betray Kit like that; she so clearly didn't want them to know, for whatever reason, but he would do what he could to make her feel better.

"We should go," Alice suggested, "Rosalie's having too much fun with the attention she's getting from her car. If we don't go now, she'll never want to leave."

Emmett hesitated. He had half a mind to go find Lauren and punch her and all her friends in the face. But he knew better.

"How this is handled, is up to Kit," Jasper said, picking up Emmett's change in emotion, "If she doesn't want to talk about it, then don't try to force her. It'll only make her angry with you."

Emmett scoffed, "Ugh, you sound like Carlisle."

"And you sound like Rosalie with all your scoffing," Jasper countered, making Alice giggle, "Kit is fine, Emmett."

Emmett sighed, having no choice but to believe his brother. If Jasper said that Kit's emotions were still happy and positive, then that was it.

"All right," he finally grumbled, "Let's just go home. I'm irritated."

Jasper gave a cocky grin, "I know."

"You're in for it when we return to the house," Emmett playfully shoved Jasper's shoulder, "Ali will have to put you back together."

Jasper barred his teeth through his grin, "I highly doubt that. You have no tact."

* * *

Kit plastered a smile on her face when her dad pulled up and she climbed into the car, "Thanks for picking me up."

"No problem," Blake said, "And why couldn't Emmett drive you home?"

Kit had thought of this already and she sighed, leaning her elbow on the window armrest. She couldn't believe the lies that came spilling out of her mouth. It was like word vomit and it made her feel like a monster. The fact that her parents believed her just showed how much they trusted their daughter and that made Kit feel even worse. She was a terrible person.

"Um," Kit played with a thread on her sweater, "Emmett had to stay after school last minute to make up a test. He was sick the other day."

"Hmm," Blake hummed in disapproval, but moved on, "How was your day?"

"It was fine," Kit replied, "Gym was fun. We played badminton and it's entertaining to watch Bella play."

Blake chuckled, "She's clumsy?"

Kit nodded, "But she's becoming a really great friend."

"Good," Blake smiled, "Anything else interesting happen?"

Kit shook her head, "I don't think so. What about you?"

"Went down to an art gallery in Olympia to review some paintings," Blake said, "And some of your mother's paintings sold. She went to Tiffany Call to get the money. She's got a boy a couple years younger than you. Embry Call."

"Oh," Kit said, perking up, "I wonder if I saw him that day on the beach? The Call's live on the Reservation?"

"Yes," Blake nodded, "They're all nice kids."

Kit nodded in agreement, thinking of Seth, "Indi's been bothering me about going back to the beach. I'll have to take her again."

Blake smiled, "She'd love that," he moved his eyes from the road to Kit's face, "...You all right, Kit Kat?"

"Why do you keep asking me that?" Kit countered, "I know you and mom are worried, but I told you that I'm fine."

"You don't talk to us anymore," Blake said sadly, "You used to tell us everything...and I'm not sure if it's a phase or…? Help me out, Kit."

"I talk to other people," Kit said softly, "Willa, mostly. I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt your feelings."

Blake shook his head, "It doesn't hurt my feelings. You think I talked to my parents when I was your age? I'm just glad that you're talking to someone."

"I am," Kit promised, "So, can we let this go now? Please?"

Blake nodded, "Of course. Your mother and I won't bring it up again, okay?"

Kit nodded, relaxed, "Okay. Thank you, but there is something I need to tell you."

"Oh?"

"I left gym class," Kit said, "Ran out, actually. You and mom might get a phone call."

Blake's eyes widened, "You ran out of class? Why?"

Kit pursed her lips, "Girl stuff."

It wasn't exactly a lie. It had been because of girl stuff, but not the girl stuff that Blake was thinking of as he pursed his own lips.

"I see," he said, "And you told your gym teacher about this?"

"No," Kit shook her head, "Some of the people had started to laugh, so I ran out."

Again, not technically a lie. She was a monster.

"High school," Blake sighed and shook his head, turning his attention back to the road, "I'm sorry, honey…"

"It's fine," Kit mumbled, shrugging, "How was your day?"

Blake frowned, "Kit, you asked me that already."

She blinked, "Oh…oh yeah, I did. Sorry."

Blake chuckled and smirked, "Twitterpated, huh, Kit Kat?"

It took Kit a moment to understand the reference and when she did, she gave a shy smile and turned to head away, "Daddy," she groaned, "I am _not_ in love with Emmett Cullen. We've had one date."

Blake clicked his tongue, "Keep telling yourself that, Kit Kat."

"It's a crush," Kit said firmly, "At first, you couldn't stand the age difference, but now you want us to be like…that?"

Blake sighed, "I want you to be with someone that makes you happy. Someone that makes your eyes sparkle when you see them and your day a little bit brighter. Emmett does that for you."

"Yes…" Kit mused, biting her lip, "I guess he does."

"Twiterpated," Blake repeated.

"..." Kit hesitated and then giggled, "Maybe..."


	15. So, Tell Me When You're Gonna Let Me In

The bell rang, signaling the end of Spanish class. Kit sighed in relief as she gathered up her things, unable to keep from flinching when Jessica walked by her desk. For the duration of the hour, Kit could feel the daggers that were stared into her back. Her phone had even vibrated a couple times, causing her heart to speed up. She wondered if it was possible for it to beat out of her chest.

"Kit?" Mrs. Goff called from her desk, "Stay a moment, won't you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Kit replied timidly. Considering class was over, she spoke English and slung her satchel over her shoulder, going to stand in front of the teacher's desk as the last of the students trickled out, all in a hurry to get to lunch and find their friends.

Mrs. Goff waited until the door was closed before turning her attention to the girl in front of her, "You missed school, yesterday."

Kit nodded, playing with a loose thread on her top. She wore a tan and white striped three-quarter sleeved knit sweater, a high-waisted mustard yellow swing skirt, and a pair of blair orange open-toed heel sandals which she tapped against the floor.

"I was sick," she said, "Headache," she frowned, biting the corner of her lip, "I gave a note to Ms. Cope. Did it not go through?"

"It did," Mrs. Goff sighed, nodding towards an empty desk, "Not to worry, your absence has been excused. Why don't you take a seat?"

Kit eyed her teacher warily, but did as she was asked, keeping her bag across her shoulder as she fiddled with the strap. She glanced at the door. Wouldn't Willa be coming in at any moment? And Emmett would be waiting.

Mrs. Goff moved from behind her desk to the front, perching herself on the corner and crossing her legs. She smiled sadly, her bright red nails tapping against her thigh.

"Kit," Mrs. Goff sighed softly, "Are you okay?"

"Yes?" Kit said blankly, caught off guard by the question, "I'm fine."

"Some concerns about you have been brought to my attention," Mrs. Goff admitted, "And I've taken to paying a little extra attention to you in class. You seem a little down, Kit."

Kit, who had been staring at the pencil-marked desk she occupied, finally looked up, a little defensiveness leaking into her voice, "I've been sick."

Mrs. Goff raised a chastising finger, "Ah, but it's not only that. These concerns—well, from what I've been told-

"And what _have_ you been told?" Kit demanded quietly.

"Not as much as I had hoped," Mrs. Goff answered honestly, "Only that there are people worried about you. That you seem sad and very far from the Kit they've come to know and love."

She smiled, but Kit didn't match the expression, her gaze having returned to the desktop.

"I'm not sad," Kit said, forcing as much confidence into her voice as possible, "I'm fine. Stressed, I suppose."

"About what?" Mrs. Goff prodded, "Anything I can help with?"

Kit glanced up, "Is my grade okay?"

Mrs. Goff nodded, "A."

"Then, no," Kit declined politely. She stood up, "There's nothing you can help me with and please, tell those ' _students_ ' who have so many concerns that I appreciate it, but really, I'm fine," she smiled, but was sure it looked more like a grimace.

Mrs. Goff regarded Kit for a long while, the only sound coming from the clock on the wall. After what seemed like forever, she sighed, nodded, then returned to sit behind her desk, picking up a red pen and beginning to grade papers.

"Very well, Kit," she said, sounding defeated, "If you're sure, then you are free to go. I don't want you to miss lunch."

"Thank you, Mrs. Goff," Kit went to the door, placing her hand on the knob. She turned slightly, "I _do_ appreciate it. Really, thank you for asking."

"You're welcome," Mrs. Goff said mildly, "Have a nice rest of your day and I'll see you after Spring Break. Be safe and responsible."

"Of course," Kit promised with a small laugh, "Bye."

Though she had laughed, she left the classroom, feeling unsteady in her heels. She was shaking like a chihuahua, small tremors that Kit learned to associate with nerves. It had been a simple conversation and she thought of turning back to ask her teacher if the principal had been informed of these "concerns," but knew better than that. It would only raise more suspicions.

"Hey, babe."

The smooth voice caused Kit to look up, preventing her from running into Emmett who stood barely a foot away from her.

Kit blinked at him and looked at her shoes, "H-hi."

"What's wrong?" Emmett scrutinized her carefully, his tone anything but, "Hey," he cupped her face with both hands, forcing her to look at him, "Kit?"

"H-hi," she choked out again, "I-I think I'm—I-I'm just…having a moment," she stammered, eyes welling up, "I'm s-sorry."

Emmett nodded slowly and held out his hand, relieved when Kit took it. He pulled her closer, wrapping his other arm around her back and holding her close.

"It's okay," Kit allowed her eyes to close, whispering her manta, "It's okay, you're fine, it's fine."

" _Kit_ ," Emmett breathed, sounding more worried than ever.

Kit shifted a little in his hold, taking a deep breath. It was a bit uncomfortable hugging someone harder than marble and colder than ice—very uncomfortable, really, but she hoped she would get used to it as time went on.

"Am I going to get hypothermia?" she thought aloud.

Despite the seriousness of the situation that Emmett had tried to maintain, he couldn't help the loud laugh that escaped him as he loosened his hold a little. He and Kit were the only ones still outside, the teachers in their classrooms and the rest of the school in the cafeteria.

"No," he said, kissing the top of her head, "Don't worry, I'll make sure your body temperature stays regulated. Stop trying to change the subject. What was the cause of this 'moment'?" he paused, sighing, "Or is it something you don't want to talk about?"

"Something I don't want to talk about," Kit tilted her head back to look at him. He masked it well, but she could still see the worry and slight irritation in his eyes, "I'm sorry. About this—the other day. You have to understand—I mean, I know you always ask me and I play dumb, but—it's not you…I'm not someone who likes to put my problems on other people and I hate being negative. Well, I'm probably being negative right now. Do I sound negative? B-because I feel like my voice-

"Kit, hey, hey," Emmett interrupted her, squeezing her hand gently and cupping her face again, "Take a breath before you pass out."

Kit took a deep breath, taking a long moment to calm down. It had been a couple days since she had seen Emmett. With their fingers still laced together, she began to lead him towards the cafeteria, still feeling a little unsteady, but better.

"I-I'm sorry," she said again, "Thank you for giving me space. I've missed you, though," she grinned, "It's _really_ quiet when you're not around."

Once again, Emmett debated whether or not to give in to the obvious deflection, put off by the mood swing and finding himself a little irritated, but he gave in, hoping to soothe the anxiety he knew she was still feeling.

"I'll have to change that, then," he chuckled, "Perhaps we can do something this weekend?"

"Yes," Kit nodded, Emmett, now leading her to stand in the lunch line, "I'd like that very much."

Emmett piled his tray with food and paid for his lunch, his hand never leaving Kit's as he ran his thumb over the back of it.

As they made their way to where they usually sat, Kit caught Lauren and Ashley's gaze. They both glared at her as though she had committed some unforgivable crime and had walked free.

"Okay?"

Emmett's voice and the feeling of him lightly squeezing her hand caused Kit to break the staring contest and she gave a quick nod, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Fine," she mumbled, "Sorry."

Emmett kept his face easily controlled as he pulled out Kit's chair. Kit was apologizing more than usual and she seemed constantly convinced that she had done or was doing something wrong, her heart racing. Not only that, but he had noticed that she walked with her head hung low instead of high.

"You don't need to apologize," he reminded quietly, "It's okay."

Kit took another deep breath, trying to reign in her emotions that felt out of control. She reached into her school satchel, pulling out a plastic container of salad and a water bottle. She had packed more in her usual bento box, but the stares and glares she received from Lauren and her friends while Kit ate lunch made her self-conscious and she lingered over it until the bell rang and packed it away for later. She ate once she was at home.

It was silent for awhile, both Kit and Emmett being people who didn't need to constantly talk. It was when Emmett heard Kit sigh softly, that he looked up, only to see her cheek resting in her hand as she picked at her salad, her eyebrows knitted together.

He gestured towards it, speaking quietly, "I know I'm not an expert on digesting human food, but I'm pretty sure you have to put the fork _in_ your mouth in order to eat."

Kit gave him a wry smile to placate his humor and shrugged, "I guess I'm not hungry."

Emmett pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth. He hadn't seen Kit since Tuesday—when he had confronted her about the bullying, but he had no idea if she had eaten since then or not. He knew her family ate both breakfast and dinner together, but he also knew that she tended to skip one or both of the meals with the promises of eating a bigger meal to make up for it. If that was the case and as far as he knew, a limp salad was not considered a big lunch.

"Are you trying to lose weight or something?" he asked gently. That was a thing humans worried about, right? Their weight? Wait, was that even an appropriate thing to ask?

When Kit's face flushed, he knew he was correct. It was so rare when she blushed and when she did, he always teased her about it, but now was clearly not the time. Why was she trying to lose weight? She wasn't the least bit heavy.

"I don't know," Kit mumbled shyly, "Maybe. Just a little bit, not much," she promised quickly.

Emmett narrowed his eyes. He wanted to ask if it had anything to do with Lauren or Jessica, but he resisted, knowing how upset she would get. It was the exact same reason he hadn't mentioned their glaring as they passed, choosing instead to glare back in warning.

"Do I need to worry about you?" he asked, instead, forcing a little teasing into his tone.

" _Never_ ," Kit promised with a wide smile, "Quit interrogating me," she said playfully, "I'm perfectly fine, okay?"

She gave him another smile and turned back to her salad, exhaling a small sigh. She wasn't stupid and knew better than to be swayed by those crash diets sponsored by websites and commercials on television, but she could stand to lose a couple pounds until her stomach didn't stick out as much. And though she would never _ever_ say it out loud, there was a naive part of her that maybe if she lost weight, then she wouldn't be teased about it because then it wouldn't be true. It was a stupid thought, she knew, but it was still there, in the back of her mind.

"My brother is requesting your presence," Emmett said abruptly, looking up from his untouched tray.

"What?" Kit asked, turning her head when Emmett gestured. Edward was in fact, staring at her and when he caught her gaze, he crooked his finger.

Emmett laughed at her expression, "He won't bite you."

She flicked her eyebrows up, "He won't? How disappointing and I was _so_ hoping he would."

Emmett narrowed his eyes as Kit stood up, "You have a sick sense of humor."

Kit giggled and then let out a laugh, "Thank you for noticing, not a lot of people appreciate it. I'll be right back."

She was still smiling as she approached the table that Bella and Edward occupied, "Hello," she greeted.

"Hello, Kit," Edward greeted with a polite smile, "How are you?"

"Fine," she replied, "Yourself?"

"All right, I suppose," Edward sighed softly, "I was wondering if I could request a favor?"

Kit tilted her head to the side, "A favor?"

"Yes," Edward nodded, "You see, I'm leaving after lunch to hunt with Alice and I drove Bella-

"But you don't have to!" Bella interjected quickly, waving her hands, "I can walk home."

Edward frowned at Bella impatiently, "I'm not going to make you walk home. If I need to, Alice and I will go get your truck and leave it here for you."

"I can drive you home," Kit smiled at Bella, "I don't mind," she gnawed on her lower lip, "You know, it's been awhile since we've _talked_."

Bella coughed to hide a laugh, glancing at Edward for only a second, "Oh, yeah...we should have one of those."

"A _special_ talk?" Kit continued mischievously.

" _Very_ special," Bella bit her lip to keep her smile from spreading wider and a flush spread up her neck.

Edward smiled when they both laughed. From Kit's thoughts, he knew that the plan was for the two to question each other on how they each found out about vampires. He was tempted to follow them home and eavesdrop to know what Bella would say, but he needed this hunting trip and he was glad that the two girls could confide in each other, that they had someone to share the secret with.

"Okay, then," Kit agreed, "I'll drive you home."

Suddenly, Alice was standing behind Edward's shoulder and she smiled warmly at Kit, offering a wink.

Edward greeted Alice without looking away from Bella, "Alice."

"Edward," she answered in her her high soprano voice.

"Alice, Bella—Bella, Alice," he introduced the two, gesturing casually with his hand, a wry smile on his face.

"Hello, Bella," she chirped, her smile friendly, "It's nice to finally meet you."

Edward flashed a dark look at her which she pointedly ignored.

"Hi, Alice," Bella murmured shyly.

"Are you ready?" Alice asked Edward.

His voice was aloof, "Nearly. I'll meet you at the car."

"Very well," Alice nodded and turned to Kit, "Come walk with me, Kit."

"Okay," Kit agreed, "I'll see you after school, Bella?"

Bella nodded, "Wait for me after gym?"

Kit bit her lip again, a habit, and she nodded slowly, ignoring Alice's and Edward's stares.

"Yes," she said, her voice coming out a little high-pitched, "After...gym."

Bella didn't notice the hesitation, too focused on Edward to think straight. She mumbled a reply that Kit couldn't understand.

"Keep her safe for me," Edward said, "Make sure Bella doesn't fall into any washing machines."

The seriousness in Edward's voice caught Kit by surprise, but she nodded with a smile.

"Will do," she promised, "See you later. Have fun hunting, Edward."

He raised his hand in goodbye, his eyes still never leaving Bella's face.

Alice looped her arm through Kit's and began to lead her back over to Emmett's table.

"How are you doing?" Alice asked.

"Fi-

"Really?" Alice interrupted, her head cocked to the side, "You weren't at school yesterday."

"I had a headache," Kit replied, "And I hadn't sleep well, but I'm feeling better today."

The dull pounding in her head was gone, now, brought on by a lack of sleep. Her mother had stayed home with her, providing cool washcloths and cups of hot green tea. It was nice to have another break and she enjoyed spending time with her mother, lounging in their pajamas.

Alice hummed, then released Kit's arm when they were closer to the table Emmett occupied, "Very well. Have fun with Bella!"

"I will," Kit smiled, beginning to pack her lunch, "Bye, Alice."

Alice kissed Kit's cheek and then skipped off, leaving Kit alone with Emmett.

"Was that as painful as I thought it would be?" Emmett asked, pushing in his chair.

"Alice?" Kit gasped, "No, of course not!"

Emmett snickered, his bright eyes glittering, "I meant Edward. You don't seem to be in serious distress."

Kit, unsure if laughter was the appropriate reaction, intertwined their fingers as they exited the cafeteria, "Are people usually in distress after speaking with him?"

"Yes," Emmett laughed, catching Edward's dark look as he left with Alice, "He'll get back at me for that one later. I already got into it with Jazz."

"You were fighting?" Kit asked worriedly, slowing her pace. She and Emmett went separate ways for their next class.

"Playing," Emmett corrected, "Jazz won, though, but I'll get him eventually. No one ever wins against Edward."

"Because…?" she trailed off, not wanting to say it.

"Exactly," Emmett confirmed, "Gets on my nerves, sometimes," he grinned, "But I find other ways to mess with him, so it's all good."

Kit smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I really think you should talk to someone."

The solemness that laced Emmett's voice caught Kit by surprise and she looked up, unsure if she had heard him right. Weren't they just talking about him messing around with his brothers?

"What?" she queried, "What did you say?"

"You heard me," Emmett said, "You should talk to someone. The principal or your parents. About the bullying."

"It's fi-

Emmett pulled her aside to stand against the wall of another building, allowing other students to pass and glaring at anyone who dared to give them odd looks.

"If you value my sanity," he mumbled, closing his eyes, "You will _not_ say you're fine, because you're _not_. _Nothing_ about this situation is fine. Kit, if you tell someone, they can get you _help_."

Jasper had told him to leave it alone and Emmett tried to play it off and talk about other things, but he couldn't. Not when he saw how upset Kit was. How utterly defeated and hopeless she looked when she faked smiles and forced herself to laugh. It was completely and utterly _painful_ to watch and he was worried about it. He compared Kit's change to a flower withering away and dying.

Kit blinked, "Well, I can't tell anyone now," she pointed out, "There's no point. It's almost Spring Break and by the time the break is over, I bet the principal would have forgotten about it."

Emmett glared at her, his hands on his shoulders, "Stop trying to make excuses."

"I'm not," Kit snapped. She relaxed and shifted uncomfortably, "I-I'm going to be late for class."

Emmett pursed his lips, "I'm going to say something," he said firmly.

" _Don't_!" she said this a little too loudly and bit her lip, hard. The anxiety she felt was overwhelming and her eyes darted to the side before she stared at Emmett's chest, unable to look at him directly, "Please, don't, Emmett. I'll do it myself, okay?"

Emmett tilted her face up, forcing her to look at him, "No," he said, shaking his head, "You won't. You're going to keep putting-

"Don't pretend that you know what I'm going to do because you don't!" Kit pulled herself out of his grip and stepped away from him, "It's _none_ of your business. You don't know how _mortifying_ this is, I'm not telling anyone! Leave it alone and quit bothering me!"

"Fine," Emmett growled, "Don't expect me to fix it-

"I don't expect you to fix _anything_ ," Kit interrupted him once more; her green eyes hard, "I never asked you to. Ugh, just…leave _me_ alone!"

Emmett watched her go and he scrubbed a hand over his face, irritated. Always. He _always_ let his instincts take over and he was thoughtless. Usually, he wouldn't worry about something out of his control, but this was different. This was Kit, his mate, the girl he…loved.

Yes, he loved her already. Very much. He just hadn't found the courage to tell her yet. He wasn't quite sure how, or if, it was the right time. What if she didn't return his feelings? What if it was too early? Too fast?

Ugh, why was he being like this? These feelings coursing through his body made him—well, he didn't much care for them. He supposed that was because though still thoughtless, he _did_ have to think a lot more when he was around Kit. Not that he minded it. As long as he had her in his life, that was fine. He would change—he would do anything for her.

And as a mate, didn't that entail protecting her? Keeping her safe, well, and happy? He didn't mean to come off so controlling, but clearly, the bullying was the main cause of her distress and it was becoming a serious issue….but then again, he had growled at her, saying he wouldn't fix it and she had told him to leave it alone. Multiple times.

Maybe he would. After all, Kit was keeping his secret. Couldn't he keep hers? But that wasn't the same thing...was it?

"Dammit," Emmett cursed softly, his bad mood only increasing when the late bell rang.

This wasn't working. He and Kit needed to have a serious talk.

* * *

Bella bit her lip for what seemed like the thousandth time. As planned, she had met Kit after gym and now, they were in the car with Kit in the driver's seat, and a tense silence between them.

"I-is everything all right?" Bella squeaked, looking at Kit nervously.

"Mhm," Kit hummed turning on her blinker. She sighed, "I'm sorry, I'm being rude," she hurried to change the subject, "So…vampires?"

"Yeah," Bella said after a pause, "La Push?"

"Yes," Kit nodded, one side of her mouth pulled up in a half-smile, "The story about-

"—The Cold Ones," they finished in unison, both laughing.

"It's crazy isn't it?" Bella mused, her laughs under control, "That this stuff exists."

"Crazy," Kit nodded in agreement, turning left when Bella gestured, "It makes me wonder what else is out there."

"What do you think?" Bella asked suddenly, "About being with a vampire?"

Kit glanced over at Bella, confused, "What do you mean?"

Bella blushed, "They're _perfect_ , Kit," she explained, "Edward is, like... _Adonis_ and here he is—they are—dating ordinary girls like us."

Kit tried her best not to take offense over Bella's words and she chose her own carefully, "I definitely don't think they're perfect," she mumbled, "They're not and I don't think we're ordinary. I mean, are looks really all that matter? If there's a strong emotional attraction and we can connect, wouldn't you look past physical appearances and focus more on the fluttering in your chest or the giddy feelings you get when you're around each other?"

"I guess," Bella frowned, "I've never thought of that."

"You should," Kit suggested, "I promise, you're worthy of Edward's love."

"And you think you're worthy of Emmett's?" Bella asked, cheeks flaming.

Now, it was Kit's turned to look embarrassed as the tables were turned. Did Emmett love her? And if he did, had their earlier argument changed that? She felt bad about snapping at him like that—about being so unbelievably rude, knowing he was only concerned and desired to help. It must be frustrating for him—it had to be. If it was him being bullied, Kit was sure that she would react the exact same way.

"Yes," she finally said, hoping the silence hadn't lasted too long, "I do. When did you actually find out?"

"The night we all went dress shopping," Bella told her, "There was a…problem and Edward helped me out, but I've suspected since the car accident. He got over to me too fast," she looked at Kit, "You?"

"I met some of Emmett's friends," Kit said after another moment of thinking, "But before that I never suspected anything. I had no reason to."

"Oh," Bella said, "But you're okay with it?"

"Yes," Kit smiled, "I am."

She parked at the side of the street, behind Bella's rusted pick-up truck and shut off her car, "Here we are," she announced.

Bella suddenly looked anxious, "Wait, you'll come in, won't you?"

"Sure," Kit nodded. She bit the nail on her middle finger, "I did promise Edward that I would keep you from falling into the washing machine. I should probably keep that promise."

Bella blushed, grumbling as she led Kit to the front door and pulled her house key from her pocket, her hands shaking.

"I wish you could have gone dress shopping with us," she said, going back to what she had said earlier, "Angela found a really nice one and I gave Jess your home number so that she could call you. We would have picked you up."

Kit didn't respond and followed Bella inside. She had wondered how the curly-haired prep had gotten her home phone number. Had Jessica said something about Emmett answering to Bella?

"I'm actually going to give her a quick call," Bella said, heading towards the kitchen, "Be right back. Sit down, put your feet up."

"Thanks," Kit wandered into the living room and took a seat on the couch, "You have a lovely home."

"You think so?" Bella called from the kitchen, "Than—oh, Jessica? Yeah, hey, it's Bella."

Kit politely tuned out the conversation and took out her history textbook, pulling out the homework she had slipped between the pages. It was actually a worksheet that she should have turned in yesterday, but her concentration had been lacking and she found herself spacing out even during the simplest of conversations or activities.

"Hey, Kit?" Bella came into the living room, looking nervous, her voice shaking, "I need to tell you something and I'm only telling you because I trust you and I know you won't spread it around."

Kit's eyes softened and she stood up, "What is it, Bella?"

Bella fidgeted, "I'm going out with Edward, tomorrow and if I don't come back, you can't tell anyone."

Kit frowned, placing her thumb nail in her mouth, "What? Why would you not come back?"

"You don't know?" Bella blinked and then frowned, "Oh," she said softly, "I thought Emmett had told you...maybe not."

"Told me what?" Kit asked lightly, "Why would you not come back?"

"In…case," Bella finished lamely, "You know," she dropped her voice to a whisper, " _Things_ end badly."

It took a moment for Bella's words to register and when they did, Kit gasped loudly, horrified and her hands flew to her mouth, " _Bella_!"

"You can't tell," Bella said quickly, "You can't, not anyone!"

Kit worried her eyes were going to bulge out of her head, "Bella, don't go. That's...not safe, at all."

Bella shrugged as though she were talking about the weather, "No one can know I'm going with him. If…." she hesitated again, "If _bad_ things happen, then he could get in trouble."

Kit pursed her lips, "If you don't come home, I'm going to tell someone."

Fury passed over Bella's face, "You are not."

"Yes, I am," Kit said defensively, "Bella, I have complete faith that Edward will do his best not to harm you. He won't because he loves you, okay? I believe in him, I _promise_. You asked me to keep it a secret if—you know…and I _can't_ do that. I won't."

Bella opened her mouth, then closed it again, "You'd expose Emmett like that? Throw it all away and tell his secret?"

Kit flicked her eyebrows up as if to say 'try me.'

Bella nodded towards the door, "You can go now."

"Are you seriously mad at me because-" Kit cut herself off, "Fine, okay, I'll go. Can you at least make sure to call me, tomorrow? If you don't, I might think something bad happened and I want to know that you're all right."

"I'm willing to give up _everything_ for Edward," Bella practically shouted, "Would you not do the same for Emmett?"

"I would not," Kit said slowly, honestly.

"Your relationship must be different," Bella mumbled.

"Well, yes," Kit said in the same tone, trying not to take offense, "I would hope so. We're all different people," she looked behind her at the door, "I'm going to go home, now, like you requested, but will you call me tomorrow?"

Bella bristled, floundering as splotches of red burned her cheeks, "This isn't your business," she blurted, unsure of what else to say.

"You _made_ this my business!" Kit said in a surprisingly mild voice. She stopped suddenly at the feeling of deja vu and pinched the bridge of her nose, "If you didn't want me to tell, then you wouldn't have told me."

Bella made a face, "Hypocrite, much?"

"Hypocrite?" Kit looked up, appalled, "How am I a hypocrite?"

Bella blushed again, biting her lip and shifting her weight, "Nothing, I'm sorry. Different situations. It was a low blow."

"Oh," Kit looked at her shoes, a recent habit, "I see."

" _Please_ don't tell," Bella begged.

"I'm sorry," Kit said again, quiet. She didn't look up and went over to get her things, "Don't go. Why do you have to go with him?"

"Charlie doesn't know," Bella told her, "So…" she trailed off with a shrug, confusing Kit even more.

"I made the choice," Bella continued, her hand fluttering to rest near her pocket, "I can't go back on it. I can't cut Edward out of my life, I _need_ him. Surely you understand that."

"No," Kit said, speaking slowly as she sometimes did with Indigo, "I don't. Not yet, anyway," she tapped her foot against the floor.

A loud buzzing came from somewhere in the house, startling both girls and saving them from another tense silence.

"I need to put my laundry in the dryer," Bella announced, "Go home."

" _Come_ home," Kit retorted.

"See you later, Kit," Bella sighed and turned to go into the laundry room.

* * *

Kit sat on her bed, her face buried deep into the pillow on her lap as she cried. It had been an overwhelming day. Mrs. Goff's confrontation, the small fight with both Emmett and Bella, the relief that it was finally Spring Break, and the fact that Lauren and her friends had been extra hateful that day, the text messages and emails only adding to it.

' _Ur a waste of space_.'

' _Ur not worth the air you unfortunately breathe_.'

' _U suck SO MUCH_. _Everyone hates U_.'

' _PLEASE_ _lose weight over Spring Break_.'

' _Be a good friend and go jump in front of a car_.'

They only got worse, her phone buzzing to the point she had to put it in her sock drawer and shut it off to stifle the noise, much like she was doing with her tears.

It seemed like she was always crying nowadays and it was terrible. Her face ended up splotchy, her eyes puffy, nose running, and her entire face hurt. She had almost completely lost it before going to lunch with Emmett, but she had held it back, if only by a thread. Not wanting to upset or worry him, but she had done so anyway.

A hard, cold hand landing gingerly on her shoulder, frightened Kit and she dropped her pillow at the same time she jumped to her feet; stumbling at the head rush that came with it and grabbing the edge of her dresser to steady herself.

Emmett looked just as surprised as she was and she lowered her head, knowing that she looked like a mess, covered in tears and probably snot. She tried to stop crying, but it only served for more tears to well up. She hiccuped, unable to catch her breath.

"Hi," Emmett murmured, going to sit on her bed. He stopped when he reached it, looking back at the window he had come through, "Oh...I should have aske—I'm sorry, I can leave. Do you want me to go?"

Kit nodded and turned away from him.

"Okay," Emmett said monotonously. He went back to the cracked window, "Goodnight, Kit."

"N-no, w-wait!"

The quiet, yet sharp cry stalled Emmett in his tracks and he turned his head, arching an eyebrow. Kit was still turned away, her frame wracked with sobs she tried to keep back. He had heard her crying before he reached her house. Even without superior hearing, could no one else hear Kit's tears?

Unsure, Emmett went back towards Kit's bed, taking a hesitant seat on the edge, "Where are your parents?"

"S-sleeping," Kit choked, taking another step forward, away from him, "T-they had a," she hiccuped again, "A l-long day."

"Oh," Emmett said. That made sense. He kicked off his shoes, staring at the back of Kit's head, "Are you okay?"

Kit nodded jerkily, biting her trembling lip, "I-I'm fine," she squeaked, face crumpling. She pressed a hand to her mouth to keep in a sob, "M-m'okay."

"Kit," Emmett sighed, "Come here."

She shook her head frantically, shoulders shaking.

"Come. Here," Emmett said firmly, holding out a hand, "I just want to hold you. Please, come here."

Holding back another sob, Kit hesitated, but went forward, a sheet between them as she let Emmett pull her on his lap, his arms wrapped around her and a hand cupped the back of her head, stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry," Emmett murmured lightly to her, "About earlier. I was being controlling and I shouldn't push you or put pressure on you to speak about things if you're not comfortable. That's not right. I'll leave you alone, okay? I won't bother you about it and we can talk about other things. You know, Alice really wants to take you shopping over the break, but you might not come back," he chortled, "Literally, Alice will shop until you're on your deathbed."

"…It's not going to stop."

Emmett looked down at her, bewildered. Her head was resting in the crook of his neck, turned to the side. She was still crying, but had calmed down some, her hands fisted in his black shirt.

"What?" he questioned, though he knew he had heard her perfectly, "What did you say?"

"It's not going to stop," Kit whispered, a small pained sound escaping her, "It's not just at school, Emmett that's the problem. It's on my phone, my computer. It's constant and it…" she swallowed thickly, a tear sliding down her cheeks to soak his shirt, "N-no matter what I do, where I am, who I'm with. They—they," she let out a shuddering sigh when Emmett wiped her tears, "Just _always_ find a way to…to get at me."

Emmett remained silent. He was floored that Kit had opened up to him and at her revelation, he supposed he understood her reasoning for not telling anyone, but that didn't make it okay. She still needed help.

"I had a small fight with Bella," Kit continued, sniffling, "About Edward."

Emmett wanted to stay on the subject of Lauren, but went with the change, not wanting to upset Kit.

"Oh?" he whispered.

"She told me," Kit mumbled, "About her blood smelling better and that's she's going with him, tomorrow. Did you know?"

"I knew," Emmett admitted. He had spent hours consoling Rosalie when Edward had come home before going to watch Bella. Rosalie had screeched at Edward as Emmett laughed and tried to calm her, then literally jumping between the two when Edward had lunged for the blonde.

"I-I told her I would tell," more tears spilled over, "I told Bella I would tell if things…ended badly."

"…Oh."

"I'm sorry," Kit tightened her grip on Emmett's shirt, "I don't think he will, honestly, but," she shook her head against him, "If he—I can't keep that secret, I'm sorry."

"Shhh," Emmett hushed, moving his hand to rub soothing circles on her back as Kit tried to quell her tears again, "It's all right."

"It's not-

"Bella shouldn't have told you all the details," Emmett interrupted, "You're under enough stress as it is, but if you tell, then you tell," he smirked, "Just make a note to leave out the vampire-thing."

"O-okay," Kit choked out a laugh.

"Don't worry," Emmett soothed, "Edward will be okay and so will Bella. Now that you know, Edward has a reason to bring her back which is exactly what he wanted. If he doesn't, then you'll tell and everything that Carlisle has built for us will be ruined."

The light and cheerful tone that Emmett used made Kit laugh again much to Emmett's satisfaction and he smiled widely.

"But I'll come back," Emmett promised her, "If we leave, I'll come back. Even if it has to be awhile, I'll always come back to you."

Kit's heart fluttered in her chest and she bit her lip, "Okay," she whispered, "I'm sorry—really sorry for being so rude to you. It wasn't right."

Emmett shook his head, "Don't. No more of that. T-tell me more about Lauren," he prodded gently.

Kit nodded against him, "It's hard," her lip trembled, "A-and I think Willa told Mrs. Goff about it. That's why she kept me after class. I told her I was fine."

"But you're not," Emmett interjected.

"I am!" she insisted tearfully, "I'm fine, it's fine, really. It doesn't bother me, it's just…a lot to deal with at times. I don't know, I don't want to talk about it."

Emmett held back a long sigh. So, they were back to that were they?

"Don't shut me out," he begged, kissing her temple, "Okay? I'm glad you opened up to me. I want to hear these things."

"I don't want to be negative," Kit muttered.

"Be negative," Emmett said, "Not everyone is happy all the time and if they are—well, they must be very disturbed. Like Alice and I."

Another laugh from Kit and Emmett grinned.

"I don't think you're disturbed," Kit replied, releasing the tight grip she had on his shirt. She smoothed out the fabric, "Not at all. I think you're lovely."

Emmett snickered, "Thanks, babe. I think you're pretty lovely yourself."

"Thanks," Kit breathed, taking in a shuddering breath to help her relax, "I guess—I just…don't know what to do. I mean, I do know—what to do, but—I-I never wanted you to find out."

"Edward was spying on Bella and heard Jessica's thoughts," Emmett told her, "It was an accident, really. He told me because he's worried about you. I almost busted through the wall of my Spanish class. Tell me, is there anything I can do? Anything at all?"

"I don't know," Kit mumbled, sniffling, "I don't think so. It's..I _know_ I should tell—avoiding this isn't helping a-and…I _need_ to t-tell…" she could feel her eyes start to burn and tried to laugh through it, "If we keep talking about this, I'll cry all night," another soft, but awkward laugh fell from her lips.

For once, Emmett was unsure how to find humor in this situation or find a joke to make it better. He nodded, knowing that he should move on. He didn't want to push her anymore and it was getting late.

"Sit up."

Frowning, Kit peered up at Emmett through her wet lashes, confused, "What?"

"Sit up, just for a little bit," Emmett eased Kit's head off of his blanket covered shoulder, "Slow, or you'll get dizzy."

Her frown only deepened, but with Emmett's help, Kit managed to sit up, a blanket wrapped around her. Her head felt heavy and her headache was back, pounding behind swollen and bloodshot eyes.

"Stay here," Emmett kissed her wet cheek, "I'll be right back."

"But my family…" Kit protested weakly.

"Stay here," Emmett repeated, "I'll be right back."

He was gone before Kit could say anything and she sighed heavily, running her hand through her hair, that she was sure looked a mess like the rest of her. She looked around her room, but stopped, the movement only increased the feel pressure of the headache.

It was dark in her room except for the dim nightlight that was plugged in, giving her room an eerie orange glow. It was plugged in for nights that Indigo decided to sneak in and sleep in Kit's bed. The small girl was afraid of the dark, another nightlight added a glow to the sisters' shared bathroom as well.

The soft sound of her door clicking closed, caused Kit to look up and she watched Emmett approach her, a variety of items in his arms.

He knelt down in front of her, placing a small bowl, a glass of water, and three pills on her bedside table.

"Look at me," he instructed gently already tilting her face up with his knuckle under her chin, "Close your eyes."

Kit let her eyes slide shut and she startled when something cold and wet began to blot her face, the soft motion calming against her flushed skin.

"Too cold?" Emmett asked in the same soothing tone, "I can't really judge the temperature."

"It's fine," Kit whispered, "It feels really nice."

"Good," Emmett nodded, passing the washcloth softly under her eyes and over her eyelids. It cooled easily in his hand and he dipped it into the bowl of water he had brought up. He smiled and brought the washcloth to pass over her cheeks, then to her forehead, "You're so beautiful. Did you know that?"

"No," she murmured. She paused, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Emmett said, "Hey, we got through our first fight."

"Mhm," Kit hummed, her lips twitching in entertainment, her body relaxing as he continued to blot her face with the cool rag, "We did. Thank you, for not listening to me—for not leaving me alone."

Emmett grinned mischievously, passing the washcloth under her nose and even dipping inside her nostrils before he let it sit in the bowl.

"Are you saying that in the future, I should disregard you telling me what to do?" he asked, hopeful and teasing.

Kit opened her eyes and she glared at him in what she hoped was a playful expression.

"No," she said, sticking her tongue out, "Just this one thing. I can let myself get too closed off and it's not always what's best for me. So, thank you…for knowing that."

They stared at each other for a long while and it was broken when Emmett reached forward to mold his cold hand to Kit's cheek. He wanted to kiss her. To know how her warm soft lips felt against his cold ones, but he didn't lean forward, for fear that he would be taking it too fast. Instead, he removed his hand to reach for the pills and glass of water, holding them out to her.

"Two for your headache and one to help you sleep," he told her, "I found them in your parents medicine cabinet."

Kit blinked a few times, looking at the pills, then back at him, "You—you went through my parents medicine cabinet?"

"Well, yeah," Emmett said, blinking at her obviously, "I didn't think you had medication in your bathroom since you share it with Indigo and I figured the bathroom in the hall was your parents, but also open to guests and I'm a guest, right?"

"Um," Kit blinked again. She hadn't even thought of getting medication, planning to just endure the headache until she fell asleep, "I guess?"

"Okay, then," Emmett nodded to the pills in her hand, "Take these. They'll help."

"You're a lifesaver," Kit mumbled. She took the pills, draining the glass of water with them.

Emmett watched her chug the water and he took the empty glass from her, "You're probably dehydrated. I'll get you more. Is that okay?"

She nodded and climbed into bed, not even settled when Emmett returned with a full glass.

"Here, drink a little more," he waited for her to take the cup before he darted to the other side climbing atop the covers once Kit was comfortable.

"Thank you," Kit told him, scooting over so that she could be close.

Cold lips were pressed to her forehead and she relaxed, closing her eyes again to focus on the rise and fall of Emmett's sculpted chest.

"Will you play the violin for me?" came Emmett's voice.

Kit didn't open her eyes and her lips twitched into another small smile, "Now? I might wake the whole house up."

"No," a chuckle rumbled his chest, "But soon. I'd really love to hear you play. I've heard it's beautiful."

"My parents," Kit snorted through a yawn, "Yes, I'd love to play for you. Ugh, I'm exhausted."

"I'm sure you are," Emmett agreed, glad the pills were kicking in.

Kit bit her lip as she shifted under the covers. She hadn't been having nightmares exactly, but the dreams were unpleasant, further disturbing her sleep and making it hard to get out of bed the next day. At night her sleep was restless and she often found herself entangled in her sheets and her eyes still heavy with fatigue.

"Thank you for doing all of this," Kit whispered, "I know it's frustrating."

Emmett returned to stroking her hair, not disagreeing with Kit's statement, "I don't know what else to do other than support you and try to make you feel better."

Hearing the tone that laced Emmett's voice, Kit only became more worried, her eyebrows creasing.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, eyes fluttering open.

"No," Emmett hastened to reassure her, "No, of course not. Never."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her temple. When did Kit become so…so _this_? Worrying, self-conscious, scared that everyone was angry at her, guilty? Sure, she was always over-apologetic, but never to this extent. She was anxious all the time, fearing that the people in her life would just up and leave her—abandon her.

This was saddening to Emmett. Is this what Lauren and her clique were longing to accomplish? To break Kit down until she was a shell of the confident person she used to be?

He couldn't let that happen, though he was unsure how exactly he could keep that from happening. Perhaps he didn't need to worry about that now. It was Spring Break, a _whole_ week off from school. Maybe this week was what Kit needed to get back to her old self. Honestly, Emmett didn't know much about bullying. Sure, people talked about him and his family, but what else was new? It didn't hurt his feelings. On occasion he actually _laughed_ at the petty and moronic comments and sometimes those people would get bored and move on to someone or something else.

"Ahh, that feels a lot better," Kit suddenly breathed, eyes closing again, "My headache's gone."

It didn't take long for Kit to fall asleep after that and Emmett watched her, entranced by how peaceful Kit's face looked.

He had purposely avoided bringing up the specifics of the bullying, unsure of how that would play out. He knew Kit was embarrassed about the sexual nature of what was being said about her by Lauren and her friends. He wondered if that's why she kept her head down and didn't really make eye contact with him. Because she was ashamed.

She didn't need to be, but he supposed that was easier said than done. Of course, he and his family didn't believe any of the things being said to or about Kit. They were all completely far fetched and ridiculous.

"I'm sorry, Kit," he whispered to her, his eyes still on her face.

He stared at her as if expecting a reply and then, he adjusted his position, closing his own eyes and wishing for once that he could just sleep and not think.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Wow, this is one of the longest chapters I've ever written and I really enjoyed it.**

 **I've gotten some complaints about Kit's behavior - that she seems whiny, bitchy, annoying, blah, blah, blah. But you have to understand, that Kit's a _person_ (fictional, obviously) and I really want to portray bullying as realistically as possible and that includes how bullying affects someone's character and behavior, keep that in mind. I wanted to address that before I got any complaints and make it known instead of messaging people from their reviews.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter,**

 **~FictionChic**


	16. Young Love, Heart So Blind

"I think Kit's depressed."

Emmett looked up from the video game he was playing. He had been in a mood ever since returning home in the early hours and everyone who was in the house knew to leave him alone per his request. Even Rosalie was in the garage tuning one of Jasper's motorcycles.

He eyed Jasper oddly, "Excuse me?"

"Kit," Jasper said, taking a seat on the arm of the couch, "I think she's depressed."

Emmett, beginning to get defensive, put the game on pause, "Why do you care?"

"She matters to people that matter to me," Jasper said bluntly.

"Whatever," Emmett scoffed, "You know she's growing on you, bro," He grinned, "She has that affect on people."

Jasper rolled his eyes, "She's depressed," he said this for the third time, matter-of-factually, "Aren't you worried about her?"

"More than you know," Emmett mumbled, deciding to confide in his brother, "She bawled her eyes out last night."

If Emmett had learned anything about being a Cullen, it was that his family didn't keep secrets from each other. Even if someone felt the need to keep one, it didn't stay that way for long. At least one family member found out about it. It was how things worked and having a mind reader as well as someone who could see every decision in the household added to that, but none of them minded, having long ago gotten used to it and even learning how to block Edward out on occasion.

"You know," Emmett continued, glaring at the controller that rested in his large hands, " _You're_ the one who told me not to worry. _You_ said she was fine!"

Calm wrapped around him, his voice having risen at the end and he exhaled softly, loosening his hold on the controller. It had begun to crack.

Jasper's brows furrowed, "I thought she was. Yesterday, I could feel her emotions from all the way where Alice and I were sitting," he shook his head, "She can't control her emotions all the time, but she tries."

Emmett nodded seriously, "She worries about hurting you."

"Well, she doesn't need to," Jasper assured. He looked at Emmett, "And you shouldn't have told her that because she tries to block me out and that's not making any of this better."

"You don't think I know that!?" Emmett demanded, annoyed, "It's too much. It's becoming _too_ big for her to handle."

"She needs to talk to someone," Jasper said, as calm as ever.

Emmett snorted, "I've told her that. Talking means telling someone and telling someone is apparently the end of the whole damn world."

"How so?"

"Her family," Emmett explained, "They'd worry about her and Indigo would be upset if her parents were upset. It'd be a mess and Kit doesn't want it taking over her home life. I get that, but…" he blinked and looked at Jasper as if seeing him for the first time, "It's hard on her. Really hard."

"Talk to Carlisle," Jasper suggested, glancing up at the ceiling, "He's in his office. Perhaps he can be of assistance? He could talk to her and try to figure things out. It's slightly more difficult keeping an eye on Kit when she's a grade or two below us. It's not like her schedule can be switched into any of our classes."

Emmett pondered this, placing the controller aside. Yeah, he should talk to Carlisle. After all, his father was being a great and supportive help when it came to Edward. That and Carlisle _was_ a doctor—the best in the world who had studied all types of medical stuff. Surely, he would have _some_ recommendations on how to get help for Kit.

Mind made up, he stood in one swift motion, the game forgotten. He clapped his brother on the back, "Thanks, Jazz."

Jasper gave a curt nod, "No problem. I'll do my best to keep an eye on her for you. Alice is losing her head."

"Join the club," Emmett mumbled, darting upstairs to stand in front of the closed door to Carlisle's office.

Even though Emmett knew that Carlisle was aware of his approach, he lifted his hand and knocked on the door, anyway.

" _Come in_ ," came Carlisle's soothing voice.

Emmett opened the door, rolling his eyes at the thick book on Carlisle's desk, "You need to get out more."

Carlisle closed the book, a playful smile on his face, "I'll take that into consideration," his expression became serious, "Are you all right?"

Sighing heavily, Emmett kicked Carlisle's door closed and went to sit down, "Not really."

"What is it, son?" Carlisle pushed, folding his arms atop the desk, "This is about, Kit, yes?"

"I'm worried about her," Emmett said, getting right to the point, "Something's…wrong. Um, I growled at her yesterday."

"Emmett," Carlisle scolded, "Why would you do that?"

"It was a small fight," Emmett admitted, "We're fine now, we talked. Look, she's being bullied at school."

"Ah," Carlisle nodded slowly. He had heard a bit about that as well as the conversation downstairs, "I see."

"These girls," Emmett clenched his fist, "They push her, text her, email her and Kit just…lets it happen."

Carlisle flicked his eyebrows up in disapproval, "She _lets_ it happen? Would you like to rephrase that?"

Emmett threw his hands up, "I am trying to ask for advice here and you're scolding me?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Take a moment," Carlisle said calmly, "And _think_ , Emmett. Start over and tell me what's going on."

Emmett took an unnecessary deep breath, "Kit's being bulled by these girls that attend our school," he said slowly, "I only found out a few days ago. They push her, call her names, and text her and email her these awful things. She _cries_ , Carlisle and I'm worried about her. She opened up to me a little bit and she thinks it's never going to stop. She won't tell anyone."

Carlisle nodded, "Does she say why?"

"She claims things will get worse," Emmett huffed, "Edward picked her brain and said it's because she wants to protect her family. She doesn't want to upset her parents or her little sister—make them worry about her and she's embarrassed. She just doesn't want to talk about it, but I told her," he sighed, "I told her if she tells someone that we can get her _help_ , but—she's miserable! It's…it's really getting to her."

Carlisle watched his son wilt in front of him and he reached over to pat Emmett's hand for a brief moment. Carlisle could tell that Emmett loved Kit deeply and it was a complicated situation. One that was confusing and required change.

"Have you told someone about this?" Carlisle asked, "Your principal?"

Emmett shook his head, "No. I told her I would—well, that's when things escalated and she said she would do it."

"You don't believe her?" Carlisle guessed.

"No," Emmett chuckled humorlessly, "I don't and I said as much. She got angry, I got angry, she stormed off," another sigh spilled from his lips, "I don't even know if I'm capable of that. Telling someone. I can't betray her trust like that."

"Even if it may help her?"

Emmett's eyes widened slightly and he broke eye contact, realizing that he was about to make up some excuse about why he couldn't tell.

"Any depression?"

Carlisle's voice broke Emmett out of his short trance and gold eyes met gold.

"What?" Emmett mumbled.

"You're with her at night, yes?" Carlisle asked rhetorically, "And I overheard Jasper's earlier statement. Have you noticed any change in Kit's sleep pattern? Any change in her behavior? Agitation or mood swings?"

"Yeah, definitely. Agitation, mood swings, irritability. She keeps her head down," Emmett listed, "And she doesn't eat at school, anymore. She's anxious and quiet, doesn't really smile anymore, sleeps terribly, and she's a little thinner. She lies to her parents..."

Emmett stopped to take in an unnecessary breath before he continued, talking more to himself, "She tells them that she's stressed about getting into Julliard in the future," he snorted, "They have no reason _not_ to believe her. I mean, I think this is the first time Kit's ever lied to them, but I'm sure they still suspect that something's wrong. Kit's-" he shook his head, stopping his rant, "Tell me what to do."

"You want to protect her from everything," Carlisle started, "I understand that, but this goes deeper. Even if you inform someone, there's a possibility that she could deny everything. Kit may want to handle this on her own, I don't know. I haven't been able to speak with her. Bullying can be dangerous. Is there any physical altercation?"

Emmett nodded, fisting the fabric of his jeans, "Yeah. There is."

"And Kit doesn't retaliate?" Carlisle asked.

Emmett glared, "Why the hell does that matter? That makes it okay!?"

Carlisle held up his hands, "No, that doesn't make it okay. I'm simply trying to get the whole story—more details."

"Oh," Emmett frowned, "Well, she doesn't. She's not a violent person. I bet she would cry if I killed a spider," he smiled a little, but it fell, "Carlisle, can't I just kill them and get it over with?"

Carlisle gave him another disapproving look, "Emmett..." when Emmett sighed and looked away, Carlisle continued, "Have you noticed any anxiety?"

"Yeah," Emmett nodded, "She's…changed a lot. Of course, people change, but…it shouldn't be like this."

"It shouldn't," Carlisle agreed. He drummed his fingers on the cover of his book, focusing his gaze on the motion. He flicked his eyes up, "Would you like me to speak with her?"

"What, like, offer to give her medicine or something?" Emmett asked.

"No, no medication," Carlisle shook his head, "That kind of medication is known to have unpleasant side affects. Some patients even compare it to becoming a zombie, and I wouldn't feel comfortable using it. Instead, I would probably recommend a therapist. However, there's not much I can do professionally if she wants her parents to remain unaware. She's still a minor."

Emmett was disappointed at that. He felt so helpless, "I can't stand by and do nothing, Carlisle."

"It must be painful," Carlisle muttered, "You could inform her parents or an adult at the school if you feel it's necessary. The girls doing this may be suspended and perhaps then Kit will be ready to accept help. Until then, continue to be there for her. As frustrating as it may be, do not place blame on her and try not to get angry. You want her to continue to open up, not push you away. The fact that she has started to talk to you is progress."

Emmett nodded, stuck on Carlisle's suggestion that he tell, "If she doesn't want to speak to anyone, I don't think going behind her back will help."

"I see," Carlisle mused briefly, though his facial expression betrayed his worry, "Very well. You know her better than I do. Just know that I am here and if you'd like me to speak with her or if she would like to talk, then let me know."

Emmett wasn't sure if he felt better or not, but he nodded and stood, "Okay, thanks, Carlisle. I'm going to check on Rose."

"Okay. Emmett," Carlisle called before he reached the door, "Just as Edward left, Alice was speaking of him bringing Bella to meet the family, tomorrow. Why don't you bring Kit? I'd love to meet her again—properly," he grinned at his own joke, passing a hand over his fair blonde hair.

"I'll let her know," Emmett smirked, "You do understand that seeing her will entail you putting down the book?"

Carlisle shook his head when Emmett laughed and made a big show of flipping the thick text open, "Goodbye, Emmett," he waved his son off, continuing to read.

Emmett left the office, leaving another booming laugh in his wake. Maybe he would bring Kit back to the house. Cheer her up, a little. She'd like that.

Heading downstairs and outside to their lavish garage, Emmett found Rosalie at the side of Jasper's motorcycle, a freshly polished toolbox by her side.

"Are you done with your pouting?" Rosalie demanded, picking up a wrench with an oil-slicked hand.

Emmett rolled his eyes, "Are you done with yours?"

"Ooh, good one!" Rosalie seethed sarcastically, "I'm going to dismember you if you bring that girl here, tomorrow."

Emmett's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline, "You're what, _excuse me_? You promised you'd be nice."

"Because she makes you happy," Rosalie argued, "And that girl-

"Kit," Emmett corrected.

"-is _not_ making you happy," Rosalie finished, ignoring the correction.

"Kit makes me very happy," Emmett promised.

"Not from what I just heard," Rosalie snapped, her blonde hair fanning out as she turned to face him, "Her crying all over you and throwing temper tantrums-

"Hey," Emmett cut Rosalie off, "They're not temper-

"You said it yourself that she's letting it happen!" Rosalie interrupted.

"That was a mistake," Emmett said, controlled, "Stop it. We all go through hard times, yeah? Edward did," he counted on his fingers, "Jazz did, me, Alice, Carlisle, Esme," he pursed his lips, "You did."

"Don't you ever-

"I'm _not_ ," Emmett said firmly, "I would never. You know vampires are able to suffer _just_ as much as humans, only in different ways. Don't judge Kit for going through something. It's not her fault and she's doing her best to cope with it. Am I worried about her? Yes, but it's not all our relationship is built on. I only found out recently."

Rosalie turned back to Jasper's motorcycle, "I know."

Emmett stood there, unsure of what to say in response.

"I'm aware of the struggles Alice has," Rosalie frowned thoughtfully, "She can't see Kit's future—it's all blurry."

"Uh-huh..." Emmett baited.

"And if that mortal-

"Kit," Emmett corrected again.

"-dies, then you'll be completely miserable," Rosalie complained. She spun around again, "You'll _never_ be the same again. You won't be able to move on or forget—fall in love or even smile. You know how love works for us. You think I want to see you like that!?"

"I-

"That's why you shouldn't get attached," she raged, "Nor should Edward. It's too dangerous in more ways than the Volturi finding out and I can't fathom why you do not understand that. She's too fragile. You should find a more suitable mate."

"Are you talking about yourself?" Emmett bit out through a chortle.

Rosalie pretended to gag, "Ugh, I might actually vomit. Do you ever take anything seriously?"

"I'm a naturally cheerful character," Emmett laughed, "Aw, don't worry, Rosie, everything's going to be great. I'm being careful and what's life without a little risk? Alice is hoping Kit's future will start to clear up. The blurriness is somewhat of a good sign and I'm not going to let anything happen to Kit."

"So, that's it, then?" Rosalie demanded, "Just like that, she gets to join the family? _Bella_ gets to join the family—if she survives today," she added scornfully.

Emmett's face paled a little and he ran his tongue over the front of his teeth, "Bella's cool," he hadn't actually met the girl, but he had heard a bit about her from Kit, "Seriously, Rose. What kind of humans would be totally fine with the idea of hanging around vampires? They're supposed to be our prey—we could snap at any moment, yet they accept that. There has to be something special about them."

Rosalie only rolled her dark gold eyes.

"Make an effort, please?" Emmett begged, "I understand that you have personal issues with Bella and hopefully, that gets worked out and you can accept her. Kit's having a hard time, Rose. _Please_ be nice to her, tomorrow."

"Get out of the garage," Rosalie said, back facing him once more, "I'm trying to concentrate and you're distracting me."

Emmett sighed heavily, but relented, "Okay. Love you, Rosie."

Rosalie's shoulders slumped and she mimicked his sigh, "Love you too, Em. Now, get the hell out and stop calling me Rosie. I have work to do. Why don't you make yourself useful, do me a favor and go to the hardware store? I'm missing some pieces to my socket set. Please," she added in a mumble.

Her voice having turned sharp, Emmett took the hint and went to the sleek silver car he often found himself driving, getting into the driver's side without another word to his favorite sister.

Just as he pulled out of the driveway and sped down the road, Alice appeared and she easily kept up with the speed he was going at, tapping on the window impatiently.

He humored her a bit, but unlocked the doors, chuckling when Alice scowled.

"What are you doing?" he asked her once she was in the car.

"Tagging along," Alice said simply, "You're going to call Kit."

Emmett pulled out his cellphone, having finally acquired one and pressing the third speed dial button—Kit's home phone. He never called her cellphone.

"She's not home, but I'll leave a voicemail or a message with her parents," Emmett pressed the phone to his ear, "If you're with me, what's Jasper doing? He hates being away from you."

"He knows I'll be safe," Alice said, beaming, "And it won't be long, unless things change. Besides, I wanted to talk to you."

Just as Emmett was about to reply, the sound of the other end clicking drew his attention.

" _Hello_?"

"Hello, Everly," Emmett greeted politely, "This is Emmett Cullen," he shot Alice a look when she snickered.

" _Ah_ , _hello_ , _honey_ ," Everly greeted warmly, " _How are you_?"

"Good, yourself?"

" _I'm_ … _okay_ ," Everly told him. She cleared her throat, " _Did you want to speak to Kit_?"

Emmett frowned, puzzled, "Oh, is she home? I thought she had plans with Indigo?"

" _She did_ ,"Everly confirmed, " _Indigo had other last minute plans_ ," she smiled, remembering, " _I have no doubt that Kit would love to see you_ , _if you're not busy_. _She could use some cheering up_."

"Sure," Emmett said with a grin, "Let her know I'm on my way."

" _Fantastic_ ," Everly sounded both truly happy and relieved, " _See you soon_."

"Goodbye."

" _Bye_."

"Weren't you just with her last night?" Alice asked once Emmett had hung up the phone.

"Yeah," Emmett said shortly. He looked at her, "We actually don't spent _that_ much time together. She has a life, believe it or not. What did you want to talk about?"

Alice scowled, "Why haven't you told Kit that you love her? It's driving me nuts!"

" _That's_ what you wanted to talk to me about?" Emmett lifted an eyebrow.

"No," Alice picked at her manicure, "I thought I could find a loophole in my visions—try to sort of see around Kit by focusing on you…"

The air grew tense in the car and Emmett shifted uncomfortably.

"I thought you should know," Alice whispered, "Even _that's_ not working."

"You're downing my good mood," Emmett replied, nudging her playfully, "It…it will be okay, Alice and don't mention it to Kit. Talk about shopping or whatever. Positive and happy things," he gave a careless wave of his hand, "I told her you wanted to take her shopping."

Alice perked up, an involuntary reaction when shopping was mentioned, "Really? What did she say?"

"She'd love it," Emmett blurted, wincing at the high-pitched squeal Alice let out.

"Great!" Alice gushed, "I know the perfect colors for her!"

"Don't get too excited, little sister," Emmett said, "We still have to go to the hardware store."

Alice groaned. She loved shopping, but the hardware store was pushing it.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm being stood up by my own sister!"

Blake, who sat at the kitchen table, braiding Indigo's hair, glanced up briefly, "A+ on the theatrics, Kit Kat."

Kit pinched the bridge of her nose, "Thanks, daddy," she addressed Indigo, exhaling, "Are you excited to go to your friend's house?"

Indigo bobbed her head up and down, "Don't look so sad, Kitty. Melody's really nice and we got the same book in school. Can me and you still go to the beach? Some other time?"

"Some other time," Kit promised, stifling a yawn, "We have all week and plenty of other weekends."

"Okay," Indigo hopped off Blake's lap, "Thank you for braiding my hair, daddy. I'm going to get my jacket."

"The pink one matches your shoes!" Blake called after her.

Kit smiled at that, watching Indigo race from the room. It wasn't until Indigo was out of earshot that she spoke to her father, "Have you spoken to this family? Are you _sure_ it's safe for her to go?"

"It's safe," Blake said, confident, "Melody is eight, she lives with her mom and aunt. Her father is in Baltimore working on his medical residency, her aunt works at the bank, and her mother works from home. Melody's an only child and neither one of the people she lives with smoke. They drink, but socially and they keep the alcohol in their bedroom, in the closet so that Melody can't reach it."

"You've met them?" Kit asked, not yet swayed, "Melody's mother and her aunt?"

"Yes, multiple times," Blake promised, twisting his wedding ring, "They're both very sweet. Would you like to pick Indigo up afterwards?"

"Yes, please," Kit said, smoothing down her hair. She had only woken up an hour ago, having slept in late thanks to the medication she had taken.

"And," Blake added, "I'll be calling to check-in to make sure everything's all right."

"Okay," Kit relented, sighing, "I guess that's fine."

"What are you going to to today?" Blake asked.

"I have no idea," Kit murmured, "Practice my violin, read, maybe take a nap."

"How boring," Blake commented, "The nap part. Why don't you call Willa?"

"She has a long dance practice," Kit said.

"Angela?"

"She had a family thing at her church," Kit informed, "Her dad's the minister."

"Well, what about Bella?" Blake asked.

Kit flinched. She had called Bella's home phone from her cell, but had received no answer. She made a note to drive by when she picked up Indigo, but hopefully Bella would call later.

"She's with Edward."

Blake blinked a few times.

"I have no friends, daddy," Kit mumbled under her breath, "I'd call Emmett, but I don't want to bother him."

"You have friends," Blake said, tsking disapprovingly, "They're just busy. And I don't think you could ever bother Emmett. That boy loves you to death."

"If you say so," she sighed again.

A silence followed and Blake frowned, concern etched onto his face at Kit's dejected tone. The mention of Kit's friends reminded him of something and he listened intently for any sounds upstairs. Everly was in the shower and he could hear Indigo running around, probably looking for her jacket.

"Is there something going on at school that your mother and I should be aware of?" he asked quietly as to not be overheard, just in case.

"Um," she looked behind her, "Um, Indigo…

"Her pink jacket is in the car," Blake gestured briefly, "I wanted a second alone with you."

"Oh…" Kit's heart stuttered, "We've had this conversation already."

"I know we have, but I wanted to ask _one_ more time. I sort of put two and two together," Blake said carefully, watching her reaction. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, "What happened on Tuesday night was still bothering me and then you said it was drama and girl stuff and then it was Emmett and you keep missing days and I just—" he shook his head a little, "I guess I didn't think—honey, are people picking on you?"

Kit stared at her father intently, much like he was staring at her as she struggled to process what she had just been told. When the words finally registered, she shifted her weight, unsure if she should avoid it, blurt out what was really going on, or run from the room like Indigo had.

She swallowed thickly, ignoring how her throat tightened, "I-It's high school, daddy."

"I'm aware," Blake said, picking at the paint stain on his jeans. He made a noise in the back of his throat, "Trust me, _I'm_ aware. Your mother too, but…if it's really upsetting you or becoming a problem, you can tell us and we'll take care of it."

"…Okay," Kit whispered.

Blake flicked his eyebrows up, " _Do_ we need to take care of it?"

"I-I don't…know," Kit stammered awkwardly, her cheeks burning with shame.

" _Daddy_!" shouted Indigo from upstairs, " _I can't find my jacket_!"

Breathing out in relief, Kit cupped her hand at the side of her mouth, "It's in the car!" she shouted back.

"Kit," Blake scolded. He got up and approached Kit placing his hand atop Kit's head in an affectionate manner, "I'm not going to force you to talk, but...don't downplay anything. You know you can talk to me or your mother."

"Yes, I know," Kit promised, "But…I'm— you said you wouldn't bring it up again."

Blake nodded, understanding, "If for whatever reason, you can't talk to us. _Is_ there someone you can talk to?"

" _Yes_ ," Kit promised, "Daddy, we've been over this," she tried to keep her tone light, "I'm going back upstairs. To the attic, I need clothes."

She ducked out from underneath Blake's hand and rushed away, calling out an apology when she almost barreled into mother who was carrying Indigo.

"What happened?" Everly gasped. At Blake's look, she set Indigo down, "Indi, why don't you go watch TV until it's time to go?"

"You just want me to go so that you can talk without me listening," Indigo accused, "That's distraction!"

"Exactly!" Everly kissed Indigo's head and gave her a small push, "Off you go."

Indigo harrumphed, but turned on her heel and went into the living room.

Everly turned back to Blake expectantly and when Blake held out his arms and Everly went to him taking a seat on his lap.

"What's going on?" she asked, "I was in the shower for thirty minutes and you're still sitting here."

"Mhm," he hummed. He wrapped his arms around Everly, tucking her head under his chin, "I love you so much. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, I know," Everly told him, "I love you too. What's going on?"

"I think…" he scratched at the stubble on his chin "We need to have a chat with Kit's principal. I think she's being messed with."

"Messed with?" Everly echoed, "What do you mean?"

"Picked on," he supplied, "I can't believe I didn't consider it. She got so upset the other day when we asked if she wanted to go to school, she's been missing days, and ran out of gym class..."

"Girl drama," Everly mumbled, repeating Kit's words. She turned her head, alarmed, "You think it could be more than that?"

He nodded, rubbing circles into Everly's back, "I do. Kit usually has a tough skin, but she looks so defeated. You know how catty girls can be."

Everly's face fell, remembering her own past, "Yes and Kit—new students get a lot of attention around here. You know what we hear about Emmett's family," she shook her head, "Oh my gosh…what did Kit say?"

"That it's just high school," Blake said, "She brushed it off and got all flustered. It wasn't a very long conversation, but I know my daughter. Badgering her isn't going to do much good and we keep saying we're going to keep an eye out. We've done that and nothing's changed."

"Okay, okay," Everly soothed, "Let's give Kit some time to cool down," she sighed, "We can't just charge into Kit's school, yelling accusations. I know, it feels hopeless, but...she hasn't said anything, the school hasn't called us, and we have no idea who's picking on her. Kit knows we're here and...right now, there may be nothing we can do."

* * *

The attic was hot and stuffy, but Kit paid it no mind as she rummaged through the large clear storage containers, picking out outfits and shoes to replace a few in her closet.

She sighed for the thousandth time, replacing a brown shirt that she had pulled out after folding it neatly. Her hands were shaking terribly and she rubbed them in hopes of getting the small tremors to stop. They didn't.

One of her hands went to ghost over her signature locket, hoping it would calm her down. That didn't work either.

She felt so dejected, pathetic and stupid. She couldn't believe it. First Emmett and now her parents? True, she was a terrible liar and had never kept anything from her parents before—nothing like this. So, she wasn't surprised, but she was still disappointed. She had gotten her hopes up—had convinced herself that no one would ever find out. She had tried so hard.

Now what was going to happen? She couldn't fathom having to sit down with her parents and choke out that people were calling her a whore and saying she had STD's while her parents exchanged sad and defeated looks, gasped and possibly cried. Would she have to get tested?

The thought made her shudder and she shook her head, trying to get out of that head space. It wasn't good for her and she needed to focus on something else.

That moment arrived when she heard the phone ring downstairs and she closed her eyes and pressed her hands to her temples, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth.

She couldn't let it spiral anymore than it already had. It felt like a huge weight rested on her shoulders, weighing her down and she didn't know how to make it stop. She prayed that the week off from school would ease some of the pressure and get her back to her cheery self. At least, to some extent. Yes, a break was what she needed and after the break, there was only a couple of more months until school was out for the summer.

She could definitely survive until then.

" _Oh my gosh_ , _aren't you just the cutest_?"

Everly's jubilant cry brought Kit back to the present. She thought Indigo had left, but maybe plans had changed and Melody had come to their house. If so, she would need to get dressed, go downstairs, avoid awkward eye contact and say hello.

She could hear footsteps making themselves known on the creaking stepladder and Kit shook out a skirt, sneezing when the dust went up her nose.

"Bless you!" a soprano voice chimed.

Kit startled, dropping the skirt back into the container. She turned her head, her hand going to her heart and eyes wide. She relaxed some when she saw the pair watching her with amused eyes and smiled widely.

"Emmett, Alice," she skipped forward to hug them both, "What are you doing here?"

Alice kissed Kit's cheek, "We called to leave a voicemail or a message with your parents, but when your mother answered, she said your plans fell through. We thought we'd pop over."

"It's a nice surprise," Kit hugged Emmett tightly, giggling when he kissed her head, "Aren't you tired of me, yet?"

"No way, baby," he grinned, looking around, "What's are you doing up here?"

"I need clothes," Kit explained, pulling away. She returned to rifling through the bins, "I'm looking for a certain skirt if you want to help."

Alice wrinkled her nose in distaste, but went forward, "You keep your clothes in the attic?"

"Not all of them fit in my closet," Kit told her, "And folding some of the skirts will ruin their shape," she lifted the lid of a wider bin, "So, the skirt might be under the others."

"What color is it?" Emmett asked.

"White. Ooh," Kit pulled out a hot pink flare A-line scuba knit skirt, "I have a sweater that will go great with this. Ah, and look, here's the white one," she pulled it out of the bin, "Alice, can you hold these, please?"

Alice took the clothing, holding up the white skirt to get a better look. It was a simple white high-waisted pleated flare skirt. At least, she figured it was supposed to be white.

"Kit, this skirt is filthy," she said, handing Emmett the pink one, "And there are holes in it."

"I know," Kit handed Emmett a pair of Mary Janes, "I'll bleach it and sew up the holes. I have white thread."

Emmett frowned, confused, "Why not just buy a new one?"

"Because I can fix that one, silly," Kit drawled, "It's a perfectly good skirt."

Emmett got a better look at the clothing items. The pink one was less dirty and the Mary Janes were scuffed, having lost some of there patent shine, "Was the skirt your grandmother's?"

"Yes!" Kit smiled, glancing at him, "It was. My mom must have worn it a few times before it started falling apart."

Alice, still staring at the clothing with distaste, looked at Kit, "Vintage hand me downs? Have you always dressed like this?"

"I have," Kit said, still chipper, "We didn't have much money while I was growing up, so I had to make due with my mom's clothes from when she was smaller and sometimes my grandma's clothes. Sometimes, she could sew me something…maybe crochet if her hands didn't hurt—ah, like this shawl!"

Emmett gingerly took the cream colored clothing that Kit held out, the pink skirt tossed over his shoulder. He fingered the long white fringe. Some of the stitches had come undone and it smelled of dust. The color was graying.

"I really didn't mind it," Kit reminisced with a content sigh, "It was easier and helped save a lot of money. Especially when Indigo was born. I guess I never gave it up."

Tears had started to well up and Kit quickly turned away, wiping them and opening another bin full of shirts and sweaters.

"That's a nice story," Alice said quietly. She turned to look at Emmett, "Get out!"

"What?" Emmett demanded, shocked, "No!"

"Yes!" Alice insisted, "It's decided. Kit and I are going to have a girls' day, so you have to leave."

They glared at each other, neither one moving, breathing, or blinking.

Ten minutes went by and Kit had gathered her fair share of outfits. She looked between the two vampire statues, deciding to go to Emmett's side. She touched his shoulder.

"A girls' day might be nice," she said, patting his arm.

"Yay!" Alice broke her glare, triumphant, "And you see Kit more than I do. I miss her."

"Awww," Kit gushed lightly, "I miss you too."

Emmett blinked stupidly, "More tha—you—I _should_ see her more than you, it's my relationship!"

Alice and Kit both burst into laughter, Kit leaning on Alice to steady herself.

Emmett couldn't help the smile that crawled across his face at the sight. It seemed like it had been awhile since he had heard Kit laugh like that: open, free, no force behind it. It was a beautiful sound.

When they managed to get their laughter under control, Kit stood up on her tip toes, pressing a kiss to Emmett's lower jaw (the only place she could reach) and ran her fingers over his cheek.

"Girls' day," she repeated Alice's words, looking at him with fond eyes, "Alice wins."

"I always do," Alice chirped, bouncing on her toes.

"Okay," Emmett conceded easily with a shrug. He looked at Kit, taking in her usual pastel yellow pajamas. The bags under her eyes had lessened, but she still looked off, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Kit said without emotion, "Everything's being handled, don't worry about it."

Emmett was caught off guard by Kit's icy tone, but he let it go, not wanting to ruin Kit's good mood and smoothed his thumb over her cheekbone.

"Okay," he murmured, leaning down to kiss the corner of her mouth, "Do you want to come over, tomorrow? Meet the family properly?"

"I'd love that," Kit forced a small smile, "See you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Emmett confirmed, giving Alice a pointed glance, "See you at home?"

"Yup," Alice said, "Home," she repeated.

"Wait, Emmett," Kit called, "Did…?"

They held each other's gaze and Kit broke it, feeling ashamed.

"So far, so good," Alice answered, eyes going blank for a moment, "You're aware, I know you are and Edward's aware having read Emmett's thoughts. That's all Edward needs. He'll bring her back."

"Okay," Kit breathed, relaxing, "Is he mad at me?"

"No," Alice promised, "He's very grateful that Bella has someone like you and as odd as it sounds, he was ecstatic at the fact you wouldn't keep his secret. He's weird, but trust me, I know my brother. Now, go get dressed!"

"Here, let me take these," Emmett took the clothing that Kit held.

"Thank you," it was a relief not to have the added weight as she climbed down the ladder, hopping down from the last step.

"Kit?" Blake questioned, "What's up?"

"Oh, hi, daddy," Kit said, turning to face him, "Alice and I are going to have a girls' day and tomorrow, I'm going over to meet Emmett's family, if that's okay. Can I go, please?"

"Kit," Blake sighed under his breath, looking up apprehensively as Emmett and Alice made their way down. He snapped out it, "Um, sure, just remember to pick up Indigo later. What are you and Alice going to do?"

"Port Angeles, if that's all right?" Alice said charmingly as she stepped off the ladder, "To catch a movie or do some shopping," she ignored Kit's cringe.

"Okay," Blake said, stepping aside when Emmett came down, "That sounds fun."

"Thanks, daddy," Kit said, helping her father push the ladder in and close the ceiling door, "You're not mad at me are you?"

"Nope," Blake popped the 'p', ruffling Kit's hair, "Just…thinking. Your mother and I will be here. Call if you need anything."

"Okay," Kit took the clothing from Emmett, "I'll see you, tomorrow," she touched his cheek, "I'll be right back, Alice."

"She's being picked on at school?" Blake whispered, having heard Kit's bedroom door close, "Isn't she?"

Emmett kept his mouth shut, but it was Alice who gave the barest of nods, eyes sad.

* * *

"Kitty?"

Kit turned down the volume of the radio, glancing at Indigo from the rear view mirror. Hanging out with Alice had definitely lifted Kit's spirits and she left to pick up Indigo, feeling light and happy. Even humming a bit as she drove home. They hadn't done much shopping, but had caught a movie and walked around town, chatting and giggling. It was really nice and not once had school been mentioned.

"Mhm?" Kit hummed, "What is it?"

"How much do you love me?" Indigo asked, tugging on the end of her braid.

Kit was taken aback by the question, but answered, "Very very much. More than…words can express. You're my best friend, you know that."

"Oh?" Indigo pushed, sounding much like her sister.

"Yes," Kit confirmed, "I promise."

Indigo narrowed her eyes slightly, "…Do you love me more than Emmett?"

An odd feeling washed through Kit. One she wasn't quite fond of. One that had her pulling over at the side of the road. She shut off the car and unbuckled her seat belt, twisting around to look at her sister with a troubled expression.

"Why are you asking me this?" Kit asked lowly, gripping the headrest.

"Just am," Indigo mumbled. She peeked up at Kit, "Well, do you?"

Kit looked out the window, down, then back at Indigo, wondering how to handle this. She hadn't told Emmett that she loved him, unsure if he returned her feelings and a bit unsure of hers. Falling in love was a scary feeling, one she didn't quite understand. Emmett was such a joy in her life and she often pictured their future together which was a bit awkward considering he was a vampire that never aged and she ended up laughing when her romantic fantasy turned into her standing old and wrinkled with a youthful Emmett by her side.

It was hard imagining her life without Emmett. Already, he was there for her through hard times, accepted her for her quirks as she accepted him. He had even promised to come back to see her if heaven forbid, Bella went "missing" and Kit turned in his family. Was that love? Could you take a relationship as slow as they were and be in love? They hadn't even _kissed_. Could you be in love with someone without kissing them? What if she was a bad kisser?

"I don't know," Kit huffed, answering her inner turmoil.

"Oh," Indigo's sullen voice brought Kit from her thoughts. The child looked as though she was seconds from bursting into tears.

"No, no, no, no!" Kit cried, waving her hands in front of her face, "No, sweetie, I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to myself. You know, just being a complete wackadoo."

"You were?" Indigo's glassy eyes widened, "Really?"

"Really," Kit echoed. She bit her lip, "I was thinking of an answer to your question."

"Did you find one?" Indigo persisted, rubbing at her eyes, "Did you?"

"I did," Kit confirmed, "And it's a hard question because there are many many different types of love. You know, like, I love Willa, okay?" she waited for Indigo to nod, "But the way I love Willa, isn't the same way I love—the same way I love Emmett."

The words tasted right on her tongue and she felt warm inside when she said them.

"I love Emmett," she said again, slowly, thoroughly, "Huh."

"If you had to pick me or him who would you pick?" Indigo piped up, "Would you not like him anymore if I asked you not to?"

Kit's blood ran cold and she froze. What kind of question was that?

"Indigo Paige Algren," she said seriously, "Look at me. Right. Now."

Indigo flicked her eyes up, "What?"

"Did something happen?" Kit asked gently, terrified of the answer, "Was Emmett mean to you when I wasn't around?"

"No!" Indigo cried, shaking her head, "No, I like Emmett!"

"Tell me if you don't," Kit prompted. She reached out to touch Indigo's knee, "Sweetie, it's okay. Guess what? I'd pick you over him."

"You would?" Indigo asked skeptically, "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Kit nodded firmly, "Indigo, did Emmett do something to you?"

"No!" Indigo looked horrified, "That's mean, don't say that!"

"Then why are you asking me if I love you more?" Kit demanded, "I do, okay? There are different types of love, but family always comes first. I love you more. I love you more than anyone in the entire universe."

"Okay," Indigo seemed satisfied by that, "That's all."

"No," Kit drawled out, "That's not all. Why are you asking?"

"I was worried you'd replace me," Indigo said sheepishly, lowering her eyes. Looking apprehensive, she frowned, "And you won't?"

"Never in a million years," Kit held up a hand, "Scout's Honor."

Indigo giggled, relieved, "Okay!"

Kit bit her lip, her hand dropping. What Indigo had said still disturbed her.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" she asked, "Is there anything you need to tell me?"

"No," Indigo shook her head, "Like what?"

"No one's touched you in your private places?" Kit looked Indigo up and down, "Or made you do anything weird or something you don't like? Not at school or at Melody's house or even at our house?"

"Noooo," Indigo groaned, head falling back, "Ugh!"

Kit rolled her eyes, "It's a serious question, young lady and I need to know that you'll tell me, mommy, or daddy if that happens. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Indigo said, flustered, "I do."

"I'll ask you one more time: Is-

"Nooooo!" Indigo interrupted, annoyed, "No one's done anything like that, okay!?"

"Watch your tone," Kit scolded, "I'm allowed to ask you these things, I'm your sister. It's my job to make sure that you're _safe_."

"I'm safe," Indigo promised with a scowl on her round face, "Can we go now?"

Kit gasped and turned back around in her seat. Right, they were still parked at the side of the road.

"Sure," she said, buckling her seat belt, "How much do you love me?"

Indigo grinned, "More than anything in the whole entire universe!" she cried.

"That makes me very happy," Kit simpered, "One more question and then I'll quit bugging you. Are you okay with me dating Emmett?"

"Yes," Indigo said quickly, "But would he cry if you broke up with him?"

"Um, I don't think so?" Kit frowned a little, "But he might be upset?"

"Oh," Indigo mumbled, "Well, don't break up with him or be mean to him."

"I will try my very best," Kit promised.

"Good," Indigo beamed, "Now can you turn the heater on? I'm cold. And the radio?"

Kit complied with Indigo's request and the two arrived home just in time for dinner. The air was tense as they ate, but disintegrated as conversation was made.

Kit helped with the dishes, acting extra perky to reassure her worried parents, no longer needing to fake it when she received a text from both Alice and Emmett that Bella was home, perfectly safe. Everything had gone swimmingly.

Fantastic.


	17. Let Me Introduce You To The Family

Applying a thin coat of rarely used sparkly mascara to her eyelashes, Kit set it down and took a few steps back to look at her full reflection. Due to the freckles that would most likely dominate her face in the future, she didn't wear or own much makeup, but was able to get away with mascara, lip gloss and sometimes eye shadow.

She blinked a few times, getting used to the heavy feeling on her eyelashes and pulled on the hem of her dress, trying to lengthen it out.

The sundress was handmade and tied at the shoulders, the fabric an off-white print with various bright strawberries going in all sorts of directions. She wore red tights and a long-sleeved red cardigan, having buttoned up the red pearlized closures. On her feet she wore scuffed up red patent leather Cutie Pie pumps. Her hair as usual, was left down, her grandmother's locket silver and glinting against her outfit.

She had slept in later than planned, waking up in her parents bedroom. They must have all crashed after watching the movie. It had been a long time since that had happened, but it was much needed as everyone but Indigo seemed to be on edge last night.

She felt better after showering and getting dressed. It was officially Spring Break and she was so relieved, already in a better mood. She wished the break would last forever.

Kit's cellphone ringing brought her out of her thoughts and she answered it after glancing at the screen.

"Long time no talk," she said cheerfully.

" _I know_ ," Willa sounded apologetic, " _I thought you might be mad at me_."

"No," Kit told her, not wanting to talk about it, "I'm not."

" _Oh_!" Willa gasped, surprised, " _Okay_ , _then_ … _Ah_ , _well_ , _we need to hang out this week_. _You know I'm dropping a few of my classes when school starts_."

"We'll do something," Kit promised, appreciating the subject change, "Another sleepover."

" _Yeah_!" Willa beamed through the phone, " _I'll ask my parents_."

"Great. What are you up to, today?" Kit asked conversationally, putting the phone between her ear and shoulder, "Anything interesting?"

" _Not really_ ," Willa complained, " _Homework and breaking in new pointe shoes_. _My papa thinks I'm going to break my ankles_ , _so that will be entertaining_."

Kit snickered, "You've been dancing for a long time. Isn't he used to it?"

" _Never_ ," Willa chuckled, " _What about you_? _Anything planned_?"

"I'm going over to the Cullens' house for the day," Kit reran her brush through her hair, "That's all I have planned. I might spend time with my family and practice with Nero. I need to step it up, memorize some new pieces," she grinned.

" _Oh_ , _that reminds me_!" Willa gasped loudly, " _Love you Kit_ , _gotta go_ , _bye_!"

The line disconnected before Kit could blink and she stared at her phone screen, bewildered.

"What was that about?" she asked herself, wavering as she went to put the cellphone in the pocket of her cardigan.

She bit her lip and left it on the desk, behind her large bottle of leave-in conditioner and hairbrush, making sure to switch it to silent and turn it face down.

Satisfied, she left her room and went downstairs, her heels clicking against the hardwood, making those already downstairs aware of her approach.

"Good after— _ahhh_!" a bright flash went off in her eyes when she started to enter the kitchen, blinding her and causing her to cry out and crumple to the ground.

"Oh my gosh!" Kit exclaimed, hands covering her eyes, "My eyes!"

"Blake!"

"Always with the theatrics…" she heard her father mutter.

"You know that camera needs to be fixed," Everly hissed, "You're _such_ a child, you can't just play with stuff you find in your drawers! Ugh, I should be telling this to Indigo."

"Is Kitty dead?" Indigo inquired

"No," Kit groaned, rubbing her eyes, "She's very much alive," she removed her hands, blinking rapidly to clear the spots from her vision, "Wow…that was not fun for me."

Blake laughed, placing the camera on the counter and going to help his daughter off the ground, "I'm sorry, Kit Kat. I tested it the first time on your mother when she got out of the shower."

Kit blinked again as she looked at her father, "A-and you thought you'd test it a second time?" she grumbled.

"I tweaked it a little," Blake sighed, "It really was a coincidence. I'll have to take it to a shop."

Kit stumbled to her feet, thankful when her father led her to a chair, "Mom, can you get me a wet paper towel?" she blinked, feeling her eyes burn, "I think I have…mascara in my eyes."

She tried her best to clear her vision until her mother returned from the sink and she accepted the wet paper towel, doing her best to remove the mascara from her eyelashes and wherever else it smudged. Well, so much for that.

"Look how absolutely adorable you look!" Everly praised, taking Kit's hand and tugging until she stood up, "Aww, I remember my mom making me this dress."

"You look like ice cream!" Indigo cried happily.

"Thank you," Kit looked at the paper towel, now spotted with black and up at her mother, "Is it all off?"

Everly smoothed her thumb under Kit's eye, "Yes, now it is."

"Good," Kit went to throw the paper towel away.

"You do look cute," Blake commented when Kit reclaimed her seat at the table. He placed a plate of hash browns, scrambled eggs, and two filled crepes in front of her, "Breakfast for lunch."

"Thank you," Kit smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes as she looked over the plate, "Um, what are you and mom going to do, today?"

Everly glanced at her,"Indigo is going to help me paint," she said, smiling at her youngest, "And your father is going back down to Seattle to review a new painting for an art gallery admission."

"Be safe," Kit warned lightly, pushing aside her hash browns.

Blake exhaled, joining his family at the table with a plate of his own, "I always am. When you get home, we'll have to finish that movie. We all fell asleep."

Kit smiled softly, "It was nice," she defended, "It's been awhile since we've done that."

"I liked it!" Indigo added.

"We'll do it again," Everly promised, cutting up her sausage, "So, Kit, I have a question for you."

"Okay," Kit conceded, sipping from her milk glass.

"Is Emmett your boyfriend?"

"Ooooooh," Indigo teased, "Kitty has a booooyfriend!" The sisters locked eyes for a moment.

"No," Kit corrected with a teasing smile, "I don't. Well, we haven't talked about it. Slow remember?"

"Taking it slow means you can't have a relationship definition?" Everly asked, confused.

Kit made a face, spearing a strawberry on one of her crepes, "Mom, you sound like Willa. I really don't know. Right now…we're dating."

"Ah, young love," Blake shook his head, "You both are so cute, it drives me nuts."

Indigo snickered.

"I'm glad you approve," Kit said sincerely, standing up to bring her plate to the counter, clearing her throat. She went through one of the drawers until she found the cling wrap, planning to put her full plate in the fridge.

"I was right, wasn't I?" Blake continued, from his place at the table, "Twiterpatted?"

"…Yes," Kit admitted, placing her plate in the fridge, "You were right," she trailed off with an over dramatic sigh.

"Yes!" Blake pumped a fist in the air, "I always am, Kit Kat. Remember that."

"You are _so_ obnoxious!" Everly poked her husband in the middle of his forehead and leaned over to kiss the spot, "Quit bothering our daughter!" This elicited more snickers from the youngest.

"That's what I'm here for," Blake exclaimed thorough Indigo's giggles, "Isn't that right, Kit Kat?" he inquired.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, daddy," Kit kissed her father on the cheek before heading out of the kitchen, "I'm going to go brush my teeth!" she called over her shoulder.

"May I be excused?" Indigo suddenly asked, bouncing in her seat impatiently. All the while, her eyes never left Kit's retreating form.

"Sure, Princess," Everly said, looking over Indigo's plate, "Take another bite of your eggs and then you can go ahead."

Indigo shoved a large bite into her mouth and had yet to swallow when she hopped out of her chair, "Done! Kitty, wait for me!"

Kit stopped on the stairs, waiting for her sister to catch up. She held out her hand and led Indigo up the rest of the stairs and into the bathroom they shared.

"You want to watch me brush my teeth?" Kit asked in confusion.

"No," Indigo shook her head, her straight hair flying, "I wanted to talk to you," she looked behind her and dropped her voice to a whisper, "It's important."

"Oh?" Kit squirted toothpaste on her yellow toothbrush.

"I'm having a midlife crisis," Indigo said quietly with a frown.

"Ano'fer one?" Kit said over her toothbrush.

Indigo stomped her foot, placing her hands on her hips, a gesture she had seen her mother do, "I don't know what I want to do with my life!" she threw her hands up, "Do I want to play music? Paint? Draw? Ugh, it's driving me nuts! I'm going completely crazy over here!"

Kit held up her pointer finger, silently telling Indigo to wait. She finished brushing her teeth before she leaned over the sink to spit and rinse. She wiped her mouth off with a towel and left the bathroom.

"Sweetie, you don't need to worry about that, right now," she applied chapstick to her lips and took Indigo's hand, "You can do whatever you want. That doesn't mean you have to commit to something for the rest of your life. You're only eight."

"You're only sixteen!" Indigo protested, being led out of Kit's room.

"Yes, I am," Kit tapped her nose, smiling, "And you will be too. Right before you know it. Patience is a virtue. If you put your mind to it, you can be or do whatever you want. Take your time."

She swooped Indigo up into her arms, carrying her the rest of the way down the stairs. Kit jumped off the last on, making her sister laugh and she looked towards the door when someone knocked.

"Oooooh!" Indigo drawled out, back to her teasing tone, her midlife crisis forgotten.

"Down you go, Indi," Kit placed Indigo back on her feet, ignoring her mischievous look, "Don't you have something to do?" she questioned.

"Not right now!" Indigo shook her head and pushed Kit with her small hands, "Open the door!" she urged excitedly, "Open it, open it."

"I'm going, I'm going," Kit laughed, smoothing out her dress and picking a piece of lint off her tights, "Okay," she breathed, twisting the doorknob.

Emmett smiled widely as soon as his eyes landed on Kit, "Hey, babe. You look beautiful."

Kit laughed breathlessly, "Thank you. You look pretty dapper yourself. Come in." She moved out of the way, closing the door when Emmett was inside.

"Hello, Indigo," Emmett greeted the child, "How are you?"

Indigo glanced at Kit before she scowled, lifting her faint eyebrows, "I'm _fine_."

Emmett failed to hold back a snicker when Kit's mouth fell open, covering his mouth with his hand. "Glad to hear it," he chuckled, "Are you enjoying school?"

Kit raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Indigo smiled this time, "I am," she bounced forward and grabbed his hand, not seeming to mind the temperature. If she did, she didn't comment, "Come to the kitchen."

Emmett allowed Indigo to lead the way and Kit followed behind, looking on with amusement and fondness.

"Hello, Blake, Everly," Emmett said warmly, showing off white teeth, "Long time no see."

"Yes," Everly said, "It's been _too_ long. How are you, honey? How are your siblings and your parents?"

Emmett nodded, "Wonderful," he said kindly, earning a slight smile from Blake, "How are you two?" he finished.

"Great," Blake answered. He looked at his watch, "I do have to get going, though. Seattle's a two hour drive. Now, what are your plans for today?"

Emmett knew he'd be asked this, "Introducing Kit to my family," he replied, then paused, "Well, my parents. They're very eager to meet her properly."

Kit bit her lip, holding back a smile at the inside joke.

"That sounds nice," Everly said, "We're very eager to meet them ourselves. Please, let them know."

"Of course," Emmett promised, "Will do."

Everly, satisfied, spoke to Kit, "Have fun, be safe, no drugs, yes?"

"Yes," Kit assured, "I'd love to see your painting later," she tried to change the subject.

"It will take some time to finish," Everly kissed Kit's cheek, "You can help me later."

"K," Kit smiled, "I love you."

"I love you more," Everly replied.

Kit shook her head, "Not possible."

"Yes, possible," Everly touched Emmett's arm, "It was very nice to see you again; it's always a pleasure."

"Pleasure's mine," Emmett insisted, "I won't keep Kit out too late. Goodbye, Blake, Everly, Indigo."

"Goodbye," Blake gave a curt nod, "Take care of yourselves. Kit, do you have your cellphone?"

Kit pressed her tongue to the inside of her cheek, blanching at Blake's disapproving frown, "No, it died this morning. Sorry, I forgot to charge it."

"She can have mine for the day," Emmett offered, taking the sleek black cellphone out of his jeans pocket. He handed it to her, "Here."

"Thank you," Kit turned the device over in her hands, flicking her green eyes up to her parents, "It this okay?"

"Yes," Blake mumbled, putting Emmett's number into his own phone, "You have our numbers memorized, don't you, Kit?"

"I do," Kit confirmed, "And mom, the car keys are on your dresser."

Blake looked from Kit to Emmett, "Okay. See you later, then."

"Bye," Kit said again, blowing Indigo a kiss as her sister waved.

They left the house hand-in-hand, Emmett not speaking until Kit had closed and locked the door.

"Did you have fun with Ali, yesterday?" he asked.

"Yes," Kit said brightly, the tone surprising Emmett, "We went to see a movie and then we walked around town. Window shopping, talking…it was a lot of fun."

"She didn't force you to buy anything?" Emmett closed the door to the passenger side, waiting until he was in the car to speak again, "That's a first."

"We bought some things for her," Kit admitted, buckling her seat belt, "I couldn't really find anything. I have plenty of clothes. Alice didn't take that well."

Kit and Emmett shared a laugh and keeping one hand on the wheel, Emmett reached over and took Kit's hand. He could feel her tense when he sped up.

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

"Kind of," Kit confessed, "This will be different and…can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," he urged, curious about the change in Kit's voice, "Ask away."

"…Rosalie?" she said hesitantly, not wanting to sound rude, "Does—she doesn't like me."

Emmett's lip curved downward into a frown and he squeezed Kit's hand, reassuringly, "Rosie doesn't like anyone outside the family, but she'll come around. We've never let humans into our lives before—I bet you can guess why—and now that we have, it's a big change. It's different and she doesn't like that. She's very protective when it comes to the family and always works herself up, but she'll be nice. Hopefully."

"Hopefully?" Kit said, perplexed.

"Well, I talked to her about it and she said she would try," Emmett grimaced, "Bella and Edward will be there as well and I suppose you could say that she's more accepting of us...than them. It's personal," he glanced at her, waving a careless hand, "You don't need to worry about him, either. Edward will be excited to see you."

Kit still couldn't hold back her surprise, her voice going up an octave, "Oh."

"Yeah," Emmett snickered, "You 'saved' Bella," he used air quotes and rolled his eyes, "You know, by saying you would rat him out. It's unusual, I know, but like Alice told you…he's weird…about everything."

"Oh," Kit mumbled, unsure of how to react, "I-I don't know what to say to that," she said, her voice nonchalant, "But I am glad that they're both safe."

Emmett laughed at that, "They're both fine. Would you believe that I'm his favorite brother?"

"Really?" Kit tilted her head to the side.

"I know. Judging by our personalities, it doesn't seem like we'd have much in common," Emmett laughed again, "And he thinks I can be a little much sometimes—doesn't really appreciate my dark humor, but we always wrestle together and practice martial arts. Which I've said is always a challenge when he can read my mind. I prefer to play with Jasper."

"Do you ever play with your sisters?"

When Emmett snorted, Kit took that as a 'no' and she waited patiently for him to go into further detail.

"No," Emmett said, brows wrinkling, "Well, it depends on the game. We don't wrestle around. Alice would see my decisions and actually, Rosie could hold her own no problem. If I was gentle, she might actually win, but unless it's with her cars then she hates getting her hair messed up. Besides, even with my brothers, Esme always frets when we really go at it. So, we'll play chess, but that can get rough. Pieces go flying, people lose limbs."

"I'm kidding, kidding," he said, smirking at the look on Kit's face, "It never goes that far, never will," he ran his fingers through his curly hair. When he saw Kit shiver, he reached over to turn on the heater, "Are you cold?"

"I'm sorry," Kit said automatically, not even sure herself what she was apologizing for. She looked out the window, eyeing the gray sky. She didn't mind the cold or the lack of sun, but always forgot to dress for it.

"The sun is a rarity," Emmett reminded, watching her, "A couple years back, it snowed in August."

"It did not!" Kit gasped, "Really?"

"Really," Emmett confirmed, turning his blinker on, "Only for a couple days. That was entertaining. Snowballs can last days in our hands. This past snowfall, I was in the house and aimed for Jazz. I hit Esme instead and was grounded for a month."

Kit gaped at him when he grimaced at the memory. It was still a hard concept to grasp, that vampires couldn't get hurt by things like that. She rubbed her hands together in front of the vents, holding out her palms.

"What happened to your hands, this time?" Emmett took one of them, turning it over to see her palm. There were small blisters on her fingers and one on her palm.

"No biggie," Kit promised, reaching up to smooth the frown from his face, "It's from Nero. I upped my practice time and I pressed the string too hard. Don't worry, they'll go away. It happens sometimes."

Emmett kissed her palm before letting go, "They don't hurt? How long have you had your current violin?"

"They don't hurt," she promised, "And I've had Nero a long time. He's the only one I have, but I love him to death."

"I find it fascinating that you've given your inanimate musical instrument a whole identity," Emmett said with a slight shake of his head.

"A lot of people do," Kit told him. A thought struck her, "It's sort of like when people name their cars. Do you have a name for your Jeep?"

"No," Emmett said. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, "Though, perhaps it's because I like it."

"What does that mean?" she asked

Emmett didn't speak for a long moment, thinking hard.

"Your violin is a part of your life—who you are," he mused, "My Jeep…it's just a toy to me, it's not a necessity. It's big and fast. It does come in handy on occasion and believe it or not, it can blend in. I _like_ it, but I have no real attachment to it."

Kit let the words digest. Before now, she had never thought of how much money the Cullens really had. It was inappropriate, so she wasn't going to ask, but it was an interesting thing to ponder—their difference in values and material things.

"Is there something that you do have real attachment to?" she asked quietly.

"You."

The word was spoken with so much sincerity that butterflies fluttered in Kit's chest, her cheeks pinking. She wasn't sure was she expected him to say. Most likely his family.

"Me?" she echoed to herself.

"Mhm," Emmett nodded once, "My family too, but that's different."

"I-is it?" Kit regretted the words as soon as she had spoken them.

"It is," Emmett confirmed, treading carefully, "The way we bond is much different."

Kit cleared her throat, gently picking a piece of invisible lint from her tights. Hesitantly, she peeked at Emmett and saw his gaze still on the road.

"Will you tell me about it?" she asked, just a trifle bit nervous, "The bonding?"

She could see Emmett tense and the hesitation on his face. She remembered the day when she had met Peter and Charlotte. Jasper had introduced her as Emmett's mate and while she had questioned him on the meaning behind that term, he had been adamant that it wasn't important. Yet.

"If it's not something you're willing to divulge…" Kit added, her hand twitching as she resisted the urge to bite her nails, "I didn't mean to pry or be nosy. I'm sorry."

"You weren't," Emmett said, "And you have the right to ask. The bonding—it might sound intense and I don't…" he chose his next words carefully, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Mmm," Kit hummed.

"What?" Emmett chuckled, looking over at her, "Did you just 'mmm' at me?"

Kit giggled, "Yes, I was thinking. That's just…very sweet of you."

She left it alone after that, not wanting to push Emmett if he wasn't ready to talk. After all, he tried his best not to push her when she didn't want to talk about something, no matter how irritating she was being about it.

Out of his peripheral vision, Emmett watched Kit play with her necklace. It was the same locket she always wore. He never saw her without it unless she was sleeping.

"Did your grandmother play the violin too?" he asked curiously.

"No," Kit shook her head, "She played the piano on occasion," she looked at him, surprised at the sudden question, "Why?"

"I saw your locket and I was curious," he said, "If no one else in your family played, then why did you start playing?"

"Mmm," she hummed, trying to think of a way to shorten the long story, "Ah, I guess I was never interested in brass or percussion instruments," she began, "So, it was between string, the flute, or the piano. Then, just piano and string. I loved the piano, but as a child I thought it was too big and couldn't figure out how it would fit through the door of our apartment at the time," she chortled, "I couldn't carry a piano around with me and I wanted something of my own that I could keep in my room. I guess the violin was just the right size for little me."

"That's…adorable," Emmett finally said. He smiled, trying to picture Kit as a child, "I was thinking it'd be a different story, but I definitely like yours a lot better. So, to summarize: you picked the violin because it met your room and portable size expectations?"

"Exactly!" Kit nodded, very proud, "And I've stuck with it ever since. I made quite the racket when I first started," she sighed longingly, "Ahh, good times."

"Sounds like it," Emmett quipped, pulling into the garage, "Welp, here we are."

Her door was already open by the time she had unbuckled her seat belt and Emmett held out his hand, pulling her gently to her feet.

"Thank you," she mumbled as they walked to the front door. She could hear a river close by and it soothed some of her nerves.

As soon as they walked in, Esme appeared in the grand living room, a motherly smile on her face.

"Kit," she greeted stepping forward to hug her, "It's nice to see you again. How have you been?"

Kit pulled away from the hug, feeling comforted by Esme's warm gaze, "I've been fi-

"Kit!"

Kit squeaked in surprise when when another pair of icy arms enveloped her, Alice squeezing her gently as if she hadn't spent time with Kit the day prior.

"You're late!" Alice scolded with a scowl. She held Kit at arm's length, "You should have been here an hour ago!"

"I'm sorr-

"But look how cute you are!" Alice cried, interrupting Kit again, "I don't remember seeing this, yesterday."

"Alice," Esme scolded halfheartedly, "Let the poor dear get a word in."

"Hello, Alice," Kit chuckled, "It's nice to see you too. Uh, I'm sorry I'm late and I found the dress in the back of my mom's closet."

"We're not late," Emmett interjected, but no one listened to him.

"Are you hungry?" Esme asked, wondering if Kit would like a sandwich or something, "Would you like something to drink?"

"No thank you," Kit declined politely, "I just had lunch."

Kit smiled, feeling welcome and warm inside, a nice change from her recent emotions. Her eyes flicked up to see Jasper standing some feet away and she smiled widely at him, "Hi, Jasper!"

"Hello, Kit," he dipped his head, grinning, "I take it you're well?"

"Yes," she nodded, "I'm fine. How are you?"

"Good," Jasper said, his eyes moving slightly upwards.

Edward was descending the stairs, Bella by his side, "Hello, Kit."

"Hi," Kit smiled, but faltered a little, unsure if Edward was mad at her or not, "It's…nice to see you."

"You too," Edward smiled a crooked smile, winking at her, "Thanks for keeping Bella safe for me," his smile turned into a full grin, "I _really_ appreciate it."

"Anytime," Kit muttered, easiness washing over her. In her relaxed state, she took a moment to look around the room, taking it all it. It was just as beautiful as she remembered.

"I'm taking Bella home for a bit, but we'll be back," Edward told them. He held out a hand towards Emmett, "Keys."

They were in Edward's hand before Kit blinked and she offered Bella a small wave which the brunette returned with a shy smile as she was led out the door.

"Ah, Emmett, that reminds me," Alice beamed, bouncing where she stood, "Guess what? There's going to be a real storm tonight."

Emmett grinned widely, showing off his dimples. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning, "Awesome! Ball?"

"But of course," Alice nodded and looked at Kit, "You'll come as well, won't you?"

Kit didn't understand, "Go wher-

An ear-splitting crash coming from somewhere in the house that caused Kit to cry out softly and she jumped almost a foot in the air.

Immediately, calm flooded the room and Emmett was by Kit's side, pulling her away from Alice and closer to him.

"W-what was that?" Kit asked, still trying to pinpoint where the noise had come from.

"That was Rosalie," Esme explained softly, "Don't worry, Carlisle's speaking with her."

"Rosalie, knock it off," Emmett muttered, sounding irritated, "You promised."

Kit pursed her lips, worried despite the calm she felt and she peeked up at Emmett. Should she not have come? She didn't want to mess things up and if Rosalie was _that_ protective, then it had to be for a good reason.

"You're fine, Kit," Jasper muttered to her, having felt the change in her emotions, "You can stay."

Carlisle then appeared next to Esme, smiling a little too kindly, "You are more than welcome, Kit. Please, make yourself at home."

Kit nodded and she pressed herself closer to Emmett, still unsure.

"It's a pleasure to see you again," Carlisle continued, "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Kit said shyly. Carlisle's eyes, she noticed, grew concerned.

"Are you sure?" it was Alice who asked, her eyebrows knitted together.

"Yes," Kit answered with a smile, "I'm fine."

Alice huffed, patting Kit's cheek, "Of course you are."

"Would you like to come with us to play baseball?" Jasper asked, coming to Kit's rescue.

"Sure, that sounds fun," Kit said. She paused for a moment and shifted her weight, "Er…but I don't…know the rules…" she trailed off when light laughter bubbled around her.

"You can referee with Esme," Emmett told her, entertained, "A storm's the only time we can even play. You'll see why."

"Okay," Kit agreed.

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" Emmett asked, meeting Carlisle's gaze so quickly that Kit questioned if she had actually seen it.

Kit nodded mutely, her hand automatically going to grasp Emmett's. She turned briefly, noticing that only Carlisle and Esme were in the room, now, "It was nice seeing you all again."

"You as well," Carlisle smiled, "Emmett, I'll be in my office if I'm needed," he took Esme's hand and they were gone from the room too.

"It's so beautiful here," Kit commented, her gaze sweeping over the room again, "Open."

"I suppose you can get a better look when there aren't red-eyed vampires in the room trying not to kill you," Emmett said casually, "C'mon, let's go upstairs."

"Peter and Charlotte," Kit remembered, her hand following along the satin-smooth handrail, "How are they?"

"You remember their names?" Emmett asked, looking at her in awe. When Kit nodded, he continued, "And you want to know how they are?"

"Well, yes," Kit nodded, unfazed by his tone, "They're all right, aren't they?"

"They're fine," Emmett said, amazed, "They'll make their way here again—this Alice and Jasper's room, Esme and Carlisle's, the library, Edward's room. Room, room, room, room, blah, blah, blah."

"Wow, what a tour guide," Kit quipped sarcastically, "Five out of five stars, Em."

Emmett laughed, simpered by the nickname, "A bunch of bedrooms and some studies," he clarified through his laughter, "Really, it's not that fascinating. We have a basement, too, but it hard to get to unless you're a vampire. Ah, and here's my room."

Emmett's bedroom was large and 'L'-shaped, painted white. Kit could see a bathroom at one end and a closet at the other. Like the rest of the house, the entire South wall of Emmett's room was made of glass. There weren't many decorations besides a small bookshelf and a TV with a video game console. There were a couple of black plush armchairs and even though she knew vampires didn't sleep, the lack of bed surprised Kit.

"You know we don't sleep," Emmett said, having noticed the look on her face.

"Yes, I know," Kit said. She looked Emmett up and down, "It's just…well, you don't have to sit or anything?"

"I could stand here for one hundred years if I chose to do so," Emmett led her over to one of the armchairs, "Thousands, actually."

"Without moving?" Kit asked, fascinated, "And you wouldn't get tired?"

"No," Emmett shook his head, "Not even a little bit. However, it's become a habit to sit, now, living among humans as my family and I do. Standing for days on end would feel just as relaxing as—well, let's see...you lying down on a really comfortable bed. And even after all that standing, we'd still be as indestructible as ever."

"Wow…" Kit drawled out, trying to fit that image or imagine what that would be like. She couldn't picture it.

"Are there vampires that do that, then?" she asked instead, "Stand for thousands of years?"

Emmett stiffened beside her and a tense silence settled between them.

Kit rubbed her hand up and down Emmett's chest, feeling him relax under her touch.

"I'm sorry," she frowned. She was always asking questions and wondered if it was finally getting on his nerves.

"No, no," Emmett mumbled, staring straight ahead, "You're fine, babe. Um, yeah…there are vampires that do that—have done that…The Volturi."

"The Vol…turi," Kit repeated.

"They're the largest and most powerful coven of vampires to exist," Emmett said, knowing she would ask, "They enforce the laws of our world…they're our royalty, very influential. They reside in Volterra, Italy and they've existed for over 3,000 years. Our laws are passed down from vampire to vampire. They're rather obvious rules," finally, he looked at her and smiled, trying to lighten the mood, "Guess."

"Guess your rules?" Kit's eyes widened, "Gosh, I don't know."

"Try," Emmett urged, "It'll be fun."

"Fun," Kit repeated wryly, "You just want to laugh at me," she gave in with a sigh when he did just that and thought for a beat, "Okay...I guess, drawing attention would have to be one, wouldn't it? It's why you act human."

"One down, sixty-three to go!"

"Sixty-three?" Kit cried, "Nuh-uh."

"No," Emmett chuckled, "There's no where near that many. Another one is about hunting, but that doesn't quite apply to us considering our diet. Hunting is forbidden in Volterra, but it's not like we go there every other weekend—Carlisle lived among them for a couple of decades before moving on. There's a couple regarding some other creatures. False witness is punishable by death…still with me?"

"Yes," she said, "I'm listening, keep going."

"Ah, we can't be noticed in open sunlight—I know I still need to show you," he smiled when she lightly smacked his chest, taking her hand and kissing her palm, "A creator is responsible for their newborn's behavior and teaching them the laws. Vampires' interaction with-

Kit looked down at Emmett at the abrupt halt in his sentence. He looked deeply troubled, his head turned slightly towards his ajar bedroom door as if he was listening to someone or something.

She turned her head to see, but no one was there as far as she could tell. It was just her and Emmett in his room.

"What?" she asked softly, worried she would startle him, "Is something wrong?"

"No, I was thinking," he muttered absently. He gestured for Kit to stand, then copied the motion, "It's time to go."

Kit eyed him oddly, looking back at his bedroom door, then back at Emmett, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, babe," he smiled at her, eyes crinkling, "Fine," he smirked when Kit flicked her eyebrows up, "Good," he corrected, "Alice is getting impatient, that's all."

Kit knew Emmett was trying to distract her and she was still curious about the other laws. The Volturi. They sounded kind of scary. She had a lot of questions bubbling up about them, but she forced them to the back of her mind, not wanting to be annoying. It's not like he constantly asked her questions about being human. Then again-

"Are _you_ okay?"

She jumped, startled by the sound of Emmett's voice and having been lost in her thoughts.

"Yes," she said, "I was spacing out for a moment. Are we going?"

"Yeah," he nodded, pulling on his jacket. He eyed her attire, "Are you going to be warm enough?"

Kit nodded, looking out the window, "Yes, I think so," she took his hand when he held it out, "How do we get there?"

"Run," Emmett said simply, "I'll carry you."

"Run—what?" Kit asked hesitantly, "You're going to run…and carry me?"

He arched a single eyebrow and smiled teasingly, "I've carried you before."

Kit's face flushed at the memory of their first date, and as they made their way past the rooms back downstairs, she heard another thing break in the house.


	18. Down For The Chase

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Emmett stood stock still, Kit's arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. That was the third time she had demanded that he not move despite the fact that he had yet to do so.

"Babe, I haven't moved a single centimeter," he decided to point out.

She didn't seem to hear him as she mumbled quietly to herself, much like she had done before submerging herself under the water during their first date.

"Okay, Kit," she whispered, "You can do this. All you have to do is hold on and not let go. Is that really so hard? No, it's not. He's going to run, then he'll stop and that'll be it. Okay, okay…" she took a deep breath, speaking in a normal tone, "Go ahead."

Emmett could feel her arms tightening, "Are you sure?"

"U-uh-huh," she swallowed her nerves and took another deep breath, "Yes, go ahead, but be careful."

"Okaaaay," Emmett drawled out, giving her another chance to change her mind, "Close your eyes. It'll help."

She tucked her face into his shoulder blade, under her arm and squeezed her eyes shut, "Go."

The movement was smooth and natural and Kit questioned if he was actually moving as fast as he said he would be, but didn't take the chance to open her eyes and see for herself. She could feel her adrenaline and nerves pumping and prayed that she wouldn't get sick or accidentally loosen her hold. That would be disastrous. She couldn't tell how much time went by—if it was seconds or minutes, but either way, she was surprised to hear Emmett's voice.

"We're here," Emmett said, "Do you want to get down?"

"…"

He frowned when he got no response and could feel Kit's heart beating against his back. Too quickly? Too hard? He began to panic, worried that perhaps she had fainted or somehow lost consciousness on the short journey.

"Kit!?" he asked frantically.

"M-mhm," Kit squeaked, her eyes still shut.

Emmett breathed a loud sigh of relief, lightly patting her hand with his own, "Are you okay? Let me help you down."

He knelt in a crouched position, supporting her as he unlinked her arms and uncrossed her legs, setting her down on the ground where Kit sunk, sitting down carefully and looking a little pale.

"Kit!" Emmett gasped, kneeling beside her. His eyes were wide with alarm and he felt sick. Had he let himself get carried away with the high of running? Had he forgotten that she had been there and squeezed too hard? But he had been so _careful_ …she hadn't cried out or screamed…or maybe she had and he hadn't been listening.

"Are you okay?" he asked, eyes sweeping her form as he managed to choke out the words, "Did I hurt you? Does anything hurt!?"

"M'okay," she promised, eyes fluttering open to reveal sparkling green pools. She smiled faintly, "Really, I'm okay. That was…I guess I didn't expect it to be like that. But it wasn't bad!" she added quickly, not wanting to offend him.

Emmett held her gaze for a moment, then nodded, offering a hand to help her to her feet, his other one going to rest on her free arm to steady her.

"You're not dizzy, anymore?" he asked, just to be sure.

She shook her head, brushing off the back of her dress and turning around to make sure there were no stains.

Emmett led her a few feet through the tall, wet ferns and draping moss, around a massive hemlock tree, to the edge of an enormous open field in the lap of the Olympic peaks. It was beautiful and twice the size of any baseball stadium. Not that Kit had been to any, it was an assumption.

As soon as Kit was spotted, Esme began to approach, leaving her sitting position on a bare outcropping of rocks that she had been occupying with Rosalie and Carlisle, the latter seeming to be having an argument with the other blonde.

"Don't," Emmett whispered to Kit when her steps began to slow, "Ignore her. You're welcome here."

"Yes, you are," Esme insisted, smiling, "Off you go, Emmett. Kit's going to be with Bella and myself today."

"Sure you don't want to play, babe?" Emmett asked, rubbing Kit's shoulder, "You can bat."

Kit stared at him for a moment, then laughed, shoving at Emmett, who let himself be pushed away.

"Go away," she told him, "Off you go," she repeated Esme's words, laughter coming from the older woman.

Alice bounded forward, having been throwing something back and forth with Jasper. She greeted Kit brightly and took Emmett's hand, prepared to run with him towards the others in the middle of the field.

"It's time," she announced.

As soon as she'd finished speaking, thunder boomed overhead, shaking the forest.

Emmett winked at Kit, "Eerie, isn't it?"

He dropped a kiss on her forehead, then he and Alice took off, both running graceful and fast.

"Come," Esme led Kit over to where Bella was standing at the edge of the field.

"Hi, Bella," Kit chirped, having yet to speak to her since they day she had dropped her off.

"Hey," Bella smiled, tense and Kit turned her attention to watch the Cullen clan all split into teams.

Alice was pitching, twirling the ball between her dainty hands as she took her place at…the place where pitcher's pitched—the pitcher's mound! Emmett was first up to bat and he winked at Kit when he caught her gaze, grinning widely as he swung an aluminum bat that whistled untraceably through the air. He was very far from the pitcher's mound and Jasper stood several feet from Emmett, catching for the other team. Rosalie stood near Emmett, waiting to bat.

She saw Edward far out in the left field and Carlisle stood between what Kit assumed to be the first and second bases.

"None of them are wearing gloves," Kit said to herself, voicing her thoughts aloud.

"Way to state the obvious, baby!" Emmett called to her, making Kit narrow her eyes at him.

"Oh, you're _so_ hilarious!" Kit called back sarcastically, rolling her eyes when Emmett laughed loudly, "I almost forgot to laugh!" that only served to make Emmett laugh harder, his family, minus Rosalie, joining in.

"Such a dork," Kit shook her head, nothing but fondness and love in her voice. However, it was drowned out by another peal of thunder and she turned to Esme for instruction.

"All right, everyone," Esme said in a clear voice that carried across the field, "Batter up!"

Alice threw the ball and it flew so fast that Kit couldn't see it, but as soon as Emmett swung the bat and hit the ball, she immediately understood why the thunder was necessary for them to play. The crack of impact was shattering, thunderous; it echoed off the mountains, sounding like another roll of thunder. Knowing how strong they were, especially Emmett, it surprised her that the bat didn't break in half. Maybe it wasn't really aluminum.

The ball soared past the trees like a meteor and Emmett was a blur around the bases, Carlisle hot on his heels.

"Isn't that a home run?" Bella asked and Kit turned to hear the answer.

Esme smiled a little, caramel hair swishing as she shook her head, "Watch."

Kit followed her gaze and she was surprised to see Edward emerge from the trees in a light spring, the ball in his uprised hand and a wide grin on his face.

"Wow…" Kit breathed. She hadn't even seen him missing.

"Emmett hits the hardest," Esme explained, "But Edward runs the fastest," she looked at the two human girls, "Call it as you see it."

"Out," Bella said and Kit nodded in agreement.

"Out!" Esme repeated.

"Aw, come on," Emmett complained. His eyes found Kit, "Kit!" he complained loudly.

"Emmett…" Kit warned sternly, shaking her head when Emmett groaned, much like a child.

"You heard her," Jasper goaded, smirking at Emmett, "We're already winning. What's the point?"

"To kick your ass," Emmett growled, leaning forward in anticipation.

After the small brotherly fight, the game continued and when Kit wasn't speaking with Bella and Esme about the rules, she was laughing at Jasper and Emmett, who apparently often fought while playing. Sometimes, the verbal taunting became physical, which Esme broke up by scolding them loudly and telling them to finish the game.

It was impossible to keep up with the speed at which the ball flew, the rate at which their bodies raced around the field, but still it was a lot of fun to see the family playing together. It warmed Kit's heart and she bit her lip shyly every time Emmett winked at her or called out another comment.

"Kit, have you never played before?" Esme asked, having noticed her lack of knowledge.

"No," Kit shook her head, "I've never even seen a game on television," she smiled, "Sports don't run in my family."

"What about you, Bella?" Esme turned to her.

"Hand-eye coordination doesn't run in mine," Bella admitted sheepishly.

"Emmett's told me how competitive they are," Kit said, keeping her eyes on the game. Rosalie was up to bat, "So, what happens to the team that wins? Is there a prize?"

"Bragging rights," Esme answered with a laugh, "For a _very_ short period of time until there's a rematch or they find another game to play. Are your families competitive?"

"No," Bella said, looking up at Edward eagerly when he approached her having caught the third out.

Kit continued the conversation with Esme, not wanting to eavesdrop on the couple's conversation.

"My family's competitive," she told her, waiting for another roll of thunder to pass, "It can get a little ridiculous."

Esme smiled brightly, satisfied at hearing that, "Really? You all play games together?"

"Kind of. We all sort of work together," Kit explained, "It usually turns into a game. We'll play with my sister if she wants to do something. They're all crazy, but I love them to death."

"Come on!" Emmett roared, drawing Kit's attention before Esme could respond. He was struggling to get the ball back into play, his team losing by two.

Kit was laughing at him, like the supportive possibly-girlfriend she was, when Alice cried out, the game coming to an immediate halt as her eyes glazed over.

"Stop!" she commanded sharply.

Edward was at Bella's side before she could blink and Kit looked at Emmett, but he looked just as lost as she did. What was going on?

"Alice?" Esme questioned.

"I-I'm sorry," Alice gasped out, everyone gathering around her, "I didn't _see_ …I-I couldn't tell!"

"Tell what?" Emmett demanded, his arm automatically going to wrap around Kit's shoulders when she was close enough.

Carlisle held up a hand, the picture of authority, "What is it, Alice?"

"The nomads," Alice glanced at Bella and Kit, worry evident in her voice. She failed to relax even when Jasper wrapped her in his embrace from behind, "They heard us playing and changed their course. They're coming."

"Less than five minutes," Edward answered Carlisle just as his father turned to look at him, "They're running and want to play."

"Nomads?" Kit questioned quietly.

"Vampires," Emmett said casually, "Ali, how many?"

"Three," she answered tersely.

"Three!" he scoffed, "Let them come," he grinned, the steel bands of muscle flexed along his massive arms.

Kit, usually comforted by Emmett's confidence, was starting to become frightened by the heavy anxiety in everyone else's eyes as the family surrounded her and Bella protectively.

Vampires—ones who didn't drink animals or had an old agreement with the Cullens like Peter and Charlotte—were coming.

The words finally registered and Kit gripped Emmett tight.

Seeing Kit's sudden fear, Carlisle spoke again, addressing Edward and Emmett, "Can you make it back to the house?"

"No," Edward's face held intense concentration,"Not carrying."

"We'll continue the game," Carlisle said finally, "They're simply curious."

"Esme, you catch," Edward said in a low and even voice, "I'll call it. Kit?" he moved his head, a gesture for Kit to come stand behind him.

"O-okay," Kit whispered, visibly shaken, hesitantly releasing her grasp on Emmett.

"Don't worry," Emmett said. He still wore a cocky grin as he removed his jacket, "We won't let anyone hurt you. You guys will be fine. Just stay behind Edward and hopefully they won't notice."

Kit blinked owlishly as Emmett helped her into his jacket and zipped it up for her.

"There," he mumbled, gently spinning her around, "Try to stay still and don't leave Edward's side, okay? And maybe try to calm down, we can smell fear."

"Emmett!" Edward scolded, when Kit gasped, "Knock it off, this is _no_ _t_ a time to be joking around!" he growled.

Gnawing on her fingernails, Kit went to stand beside Bella who had taken her hair out of its ponytail and was shaking it out around her.

"The others are coming now," Bella said, oddly calm.

"Yes," Edward helped pull Bella's long hair around her face, "Stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side, please. Kit, come closer."

Kit ambled forward, still biting her nails. She jumped when Edward grabbed her wrist, gingerly yanking it down to her side.

"Stay still!" he hissed to her.

"Hey, watch it, kid!" Emmett barred his teeth with warning, "Hands to yourself unless you want to lose 'em!"

"Shhh," Jasper hushed, his eyes sweeping the dark forest. He motioned for Alice and Esme to orient themselves around Kit and Bella.

"My apologies," Edward murmured, barely audible, "Forgive me."

"I-it's fine," Kit breathed, clamping her mouth shut when she saw him tense.

The nomadic vampires emerged from the darkened forest edge, each standing far from each other. It was the woman that Kit noticed first, her long curly hair a brilliant orange that closely resembled the color of fire, looking more wild with debris from the woods intertwining the strands. Her eyes were bright red, skin pale, her entire appearance like a powerful feline as her eyes shifted restlessly.

One of the men with cropped light brown hair fell back, allowing the male with cropped glossy black hair to take the lead. As they approached, Kit could see how cautious they were being. Their walk was slow and catlike, all dressed in worn, weatherproof jeans and casual button-downs. They were barefoot.

Carlisle, flanked by Emmett and Jasper went to meet them, Carlisle's posture regal and poised.

The man in front, with olive-toned skin beneath the usual pallor, flashed a brilliant smile and stepped towards Carlisle, his medium-build and hard muscle flexing slightly as he gestured to the other two vampires.

"Hello," he greeted, his French accent relaxed, "I am Laurent and these are Victoria and James. Did we hear a game?"

"Yes," Carlisle said smoothly, "I'm Carlisle, and this is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Bella, Esme, and Alice, Rosalie, Kit and Edward."

Kit's hand twitched when Carlisle said her name and a flash of fear went through her when she remembered Edward hissing at her to stay still. Had the nomads noticed? Had she completely blown it?

Her eyes landed on James when he grinned a sadistic grin, his eyes lingering a little too long on Alice before roaming over the others. She lowered her gaze before he reached her.

' _Breathe_ , _Kit_ ,' she thought, ' _Don't panic_ , _it's okay_.'

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asked hopefully.

Carlisle hesitated, but he didn't stay that way for long, "Actually, we were just finishing up, but we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay long?"

"We're headed North, in fact," Laurent said, his tone still innocent. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, "Is this your territory?"

Carlisle nodded, "We maintain a permanent residence nearby. We hunt in the Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. However, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves."

Laurent returned Carlisle's nod with one of his own, stuck on the word 'permanent.'

"How do you manage a permanent residence?" he asked, his voice laced with genuine curiosity.

Kit's shoulders relaxed and she figured that Jasper was using his gift to keep things calm. She glanced at Bella, but was unable to read her face.

"There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali," Carlisle said. He managed a small smile, "It's a rather long story, you see. Why don't you all come back to our home and we can talk comfortably?" he invited, ever polite.

James and Victoria exchanged a shocked look, but Laurent's face remained passive as he smiled.

"That sounds excellent and interesting, thank you," he said, "We've been hunting since leaving Ontario and it has been sometime since we've been able to cleanup."

"We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand," Carlisle explained, "Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area."

"Of course," Laurent nodded quickly, "It is _your_ territory, after all. Besides, we're full having just eaten outside Seattle, anyway," he laughed, James and Victoria joining in with light chuckles.

Kit and Bella both shuddered and briefly, they met each others gazes, silently communicating their fear.

"We'll be on our way, then," Carlisle said with a smile, "Emmett and Alice, why don't you go with Edward, Kit and Bella to get the Jeep?" he phrased it as a question, though it was anything but.

They nodded and followed after Edward who was already leading the two girls away. It was when a breeze blew, that Edward froze, dropping the hold he had on their arms to whirl around.

James and Victoria, suddenly whipped their heads around, nostrils flaring. Victoria had her teeth barred, her tongue going to run over them as she swallowed, her throat evidently burning.

It was when Victoria lunged for Kit, a feral screech torn from her throat that Kit screamed, Emmett shoving her backwards as his family left their positions to flank his sides, hiding Bella and Kit from view. Menacing hisses escaped their throats.

Laurent was the one to stop Victoria, his hand slamming hard into her chest before he stepped in front of her as she recovered.

James was occupied, his eyes wide and on Bella from his crouched position that matched Edward's who let out a feral snarl.

"What's this?" Laurent exclaimed, looking from Victoria who writhed in his one arm hold, to Kit, to James, then Edward and lastly, Bella.

Kit stayed on the ground, not wanting to stand and risk Victoria jumping at her again. She scooted backwards a little, noticing Emmett shift his position to always stand in front of her. She was shaking, breath coming out in shuddering gasps.

James, looking pleased at Victoria's reaction, took an involuntary step forward, his eyes black with thirst and want.

"You brought us a couple snacks?" he taunted, inhaling deeply.

Simultaneous snarls ripped from Emmett's and Edward's throats, Emmett readying himself for a fight. His eyes never left Victoria's form. Her chest heaved as growls and venom rattled through her clenched teeth, her eyes darker than midnight.

"The girl's are with us," Carlisle said firmly.

Laurent, clearly astounded, shook his head, "But they're human!"

Carlisle's eyes hardened, "They. Are. With. Us," he repeated firmly, "They are members of my family."

"Yes," Emmett agreed, eyes flicking from Victoria to James, narrowing dangerously, "Carlisle…?"

Carlisle nodded, seeming to understand, "I think it'd be best if you leave."

" _Now_!" Emmett drew up on his toes, making his frame appear larger and more menacing.

"Yes, of course," Laurent took a few steps back, forcibly yanking Victoria with him with surprising strength while James straightened from his crouch, "We will not harm the human girls nor hunt in your range as promised."

Kit tensed when Emmett began to back up just as slow, one of his hands extended behind him. With a trembling hand, Kit took it and pulled herself to her feet. Her legs were shaking and she struggled to steady herself.

She could feel Emmett's continuous glances, but she couldn't meet them, her own bulging eyes locked on the nomads' retreating figures. She could still hear Victoria snarling and wondered what had set the redhead off like that.

She tried to speak, but only a strangled sound escaped, causing Emmett to turn to face her, still blocking her from view. His hands cupped her face, running down her cheeks, to her arms, where he held both her shaking hands. That redhead—Victoria had been so close.

He didn't want to ask if Kit was okay because clearly she wasn't, but that had never stopped him before.

"Emmett, we have to go!" Edward snarled before he could do so, "He's a Tracker, let's go."

"A-a what?" Kit choked out, finding her voice.

But Emmett didn't answer, pulling Kit to walk promptly back to the forest's edge, his family behind him and Alice particularly close.

"I—s-she was going to-

"Don't worry about that," Emmett slung Kit over his back, breaking into a run behind Edward.

Kit kept her head low and squeezed her eyes shut, too terrified to worry about where the others had gone. Where were they going? Back to the house?

She got her answer shortly, when Emmett was suddenly strapping her into his Jeep before he went to sit in the middle, getting to work on helping Bella into the harness, Edward and Alice in the front seats.

The Jeep roared to life and swerved backward, spinning around to face the winding road.

Edward was growling, continuing to push the Jeep to go faster and Kit couldn't make out a single word he was saying. The ride was jolting and rough, the darkness only adding to the scary situation.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked. She glanced at Kit, recalling her earlier question, "And what's a Tracker? What's going on?"

"We have to get you both out of here," Edward growled, "Far away before he— _they_ find you and they will. So, we have to go!"

Edward's words made no sense, Kit only understanding that they were leaving Forks. The speedometer was well over 100 miles per hour and Kit began to panic.

"No, we can't go!" she shouted in earnest, "Take me home, turn around!"

Bella joined in with protests of her own, "Edward, you can't do this!"

"I have to," Edward said, "Now, please be quiet."

Kit was furious at the command, no matter how kind Edward was trying to come off. Was he being serious?

"Yes," Edward answered her thoughts over Bella shouting something about Carlisle and Esme and the FBI.

"Please…" Kit begged. She looked at Emmett and he looked just as worried.

Alice finally spoke up, "Edward pull over, let's talk this through," she suggested.

"You don't understand!" Edward roared, his voice raging throughout the Jeep, "Alice, haven't you _seen_!? You know he's a Tracker. Tracking is James' obsession and Victoria!? Kit smells just as good to her as Bella does to me!"

Kit ignored Emmett stiffening next to her and Bella's loud gasp. Kit tuned everything out and closed her eyes, trying to think past her paralyzing fear. Scent. She tried to remember everything that Emmett and Bella had told her about the brunette's blood smelling stronger to Edward.

" _It's a huge test of his self-control_ ," Emmett had said. Self-control that Victoria, a vampire who fed from humans on a daily basis, did not have.

They were in Forks, a small town; and in a nice house, surrounded by trees, held three people who smelled either exactly or at least very similarly to Kit…

Slowly, Kit's eyes opened and her breath hitched when her throat tightened. If anyone had been speaking, she hadn't heard them.

"My sister," she squeaked, knowing she'd be heard, "And my parents…don't they smell like me?"

Emmett's hand ran up and down her arm as he tried to soothe her to no avail.

Bella gasped, catching on, "Charlie! You can't leave him there! You can't leave him!" she thrashed against the harness and Emmett had to hold her hands.

"She's right," Alice said, "They both are."

The car slowed slightly.

"Let's just look at our options for a minute," Alice coaxed.

"We're taking them back," Emmett said, firmly, "We have to take them back."

"No."

" _Yes_ ," Kit interjected, "If you think I'm leaving my family, then you've got another thing coming, Edward. I swear, I will _jump_ out of this car!" she saw Emmett smile a little from the corner of her eye.

The Jeep screeched to a halt at the shoulder of the highway and Emmett's hand kept Kit from slamming into the harness.

"He's no match for us, Edward," Emmett said, always confident, "He won't be able to touch them," he grinned and even Kit, with her matching sick sense of humor, couldn't fathom how he could still smile, "You think I'm going to let him lay a single hand on my girl?"

"He'll wait," Edward insisted.

Emmett snickered, "Fine. I can wait, too. We have all the time in the world."

Edward didn't find this humorous, "You didn't see—you don't understand. Once he commits to a hunt, he's unshakable. We'd have to kill him."

Emmett didn't seem upset by the idea and shrugged casually. "That's an option."

"And the female," Edward continued, "She's with him and after Kit. If it turns into a fight, the leader will go with them, too."

"Great," Emmett shrugged again, "There are enough of us."

"There's another option?" Alice said quietly.

Edward turned on her in fury, his voice a blistering snarl, "There—is—no—other—option!"

Alice seemed unsurprised by this, the silence long-lasting as she and Edward stared each other down.

Bella broke the silence, "Does anyone want to hear my plan?"

"No," Edward growled.

"Yes," Kit said.

"Listen," Bella pleaded. "You take us back."

"No," Edward interrupted.

Bella glared and continued. "We need to go somewhere, right? Great, okay. So, you take us back. Me first and I'll tell my dad I want to go home to Phoenix. I pack my bags, we go to Kit's house, she…comes up with something, we wait 'till this tracker and the female is watching, and then we run. They'll follow us and leave our families alone. Charlie won't call the FBI on your family. Then you can take us any damned place you want."

Edward wasn't convinced, trying to find a loophole in Bella's plan, "Kit's family will never believe that she's running away."

"I…" Kit didn't know what to say and floundered for words. He was right about that.

"I'll go in with Kit," Alice came to the rescue, "Kit, you can say that we're taking you on vacation. It _is_ Spring Break after all."

"It's not a bad idea, really." Emmett said, surprised, "We can't leave their families unprotected, that's not an option and that Tracker's not getting through us. Neither is the redhead."

Alice thought for a minute, "I don't see him attacking. He'll try to wait for us to leave them alone and it won't take long for him to realize that's not going to happen."

Kit didn't speak, unsure how to feel about the plan. She was terrified, not wanting to leave her family.

' _But it'll be safer for them if I'm gone_ ,' she concluded, fighting back tears. Edward giving her a small nod to confirm her thoughts.

Edward pressed his fingers to his temples and squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't look up. When he spoke, his voice sounded worn, "Bella, you tell Charlie that you can't stand another minute in Forks. Tell him whatever story works. Pack the first things your hands touch, and then get in your truck. I don't care what he says to you. You have fifteen minutes. Do you hear me? Fifteen minutes from the time you cross the doorstep."

"No, change it," Kit interrupted shakily, "Bella, if Charlie thinks you've run away, he'll call my parents. They know we're friends. The stories need to match up. Vacation."

"Okay," Bella nodded, "It will be a girl's trip, then, whatever—the Tracker will still follow us and it's not like Charlie will question it. We're going shopping or something and the boys are going camping."

"Fine. This is how it's going to happen," Edward told them, the Jeep roaring to life, "When we get to the house, if the Tracker is not there, I will walk her to the door. Then she has fifteen minutes to pack and explain," he glared at Bella in the rearview mirror. "Emmett, you take the outside of the house. Alice, you get the truck and stay with Kit. I'll be inside as long as Bella is. After she's out, you two can take the Jeep home and tell Carlisle."

"No way," Emmett broke in. "I'm with you."

Kit looked up at him, shocked and was about to say something when Edward beat her to it.

"Think it through, Emmett," Edward said, "I don't know how long I'll be gone."

" _You're_ coming!?" Kit blurted.

Edward narrowed his eyes at her in the rearview mirror, "Yes!"

"No," Kit shook her head, "I mean, wouldn't he know? The Tracker? He saw how you acted, how protective you were of Bella. Wouldn't his first thought be that you'd be wherever Bella goes?" she looked at Emmett, "You too, Emmett. I moved an inch and you followed. You should stay."

"What?" Emmett asked disbelievingly.

"You'll get a better crack at him if you stay," Alice agreed.

Edward stared at them all, "You think I should let them go alone?"

"Goodness, no," Alice shook her head, "Jasper and I will take them."

"I'm fine with that," Emmett conceded easily. He trusted Jasper.

"I can't do that," Edward repeated, but this time there was a trace of defeat in his voice. It was clear that he didn't want to leave Bella, but the logic was working on him.

"You and Emmett need to hang out here for a week—a few days," Bella cut in, "It's supposed to be a girl's trip and you're supposed to be camping, remember? Lay low. That way, our parents won't think that you guys kidnapped us. Lead this James on a wild-goose chase and make sure he's completely off our trail. Then come and meet us. Take a roundabout route, of course, and then Jasper and Alice can go home."

Edward still looked unsure, but he was considering it, "Meet you where?"

"Phoenix," Bella said, the 'duh' implied in her tone.

"No. He'll hear that's where you're going," Edward said impatiently.

"Obviously. He'll know that we'll know that he's listening," Kit said, getting impatient herself, "And we won't actually say that we're going to Phoenix. Edward, it's a _good_ plan!"

"You're diabolical," Emmett grinned, kissing the top of Kit's head, "Hot."

"Emmett, really?" Alice snorted when Kit flushed, "Is now _seriously_ the appropriate time to be flirting with Kit?"

Kit leaned her head on Emmett's chest, "Behave," she warned him.

"I'm quite old enough to get my own place," Bella said, answering a question that Kit had missed, her face cooling down.

So, this was really happening, then? Kit couldn't believe it. Vampires, wanting to kill were coming after them and they had to leave…

Would her family _really_ be okay? Indigo was smart, but she was still a child. What if she got tricked? Well, it was Spring Break, one of her parents would be at home with her. Indigo wasn't old enough to stay home alone. But what if she went to a friend's house—like that Melody girl? Did her and Indigo share the same scent? What about her mom or dad? What if one of _them_ went somewhere alone?

A guttural snarl echoed in the Jeep, caused Kit to snap back to the present, her eyes wide with terror.

"It's just Alice," Emmett soothed, "We're at Bella's house. There's been a change of plans. She's going to go talk to Charlie and Edward and I are going to stay. We'll take Bella's truck and Alice is going to take you home with the Jeep and I'll meet you there while Edward and Bella go back to the house. Okay?"

"O-okay," Kit whispered back, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. Her breath hitched again.

Edward who had been sitting ramrod straight in his seat, turned to face Kit, taking in her shaky appearance.

"Are you going to be able to keep it together?" he demanded.

"Watch your tone," Emmett warned, helping Bella out of her harness, "That's strike two, kid."

"She'll be fine," Alice quipped, "Don't worry, Edward."

Kit gave the barest of nods, blinking back tears.

"Hey," Emmett, having yet to leave the car after Bella and Edward, drew his thumb under Kit's eyes, "It's going to be okay."

"There's no way I can stay?" Kit asked, "If someone will be watching the house…" she trailed off.

Emmett sighed sullenly, "It really will be safer if you go," he smiled, "Look at it this way: It'll be some time away from Forks! You can't tell me that's not tempting and you can leave your phone behind…" he wagged his eyebrows.

"There," he traced the curve of Kit's mouth when she forced a smile for his sake, "That's better," he looked at Alice, "Take care of her."

"Of course!" Alice's eyes never leaving the forest they trailed over, "You have to go, now. We're wasting time."

"Okay, okay," Emmett winked at Kit, "See you soon, babe."

And then he ghosted his lips across Kit's ever so lightly, the Jeep tearing down the road again before Kit knew it. She hadn't even been able to say anything to Bella, but was comforted by the fact they would meetup again in due time.

"It will be okay, Kit," Alice said from the driver's seat, "If you're gone, they shouldn't touch your family."

Kit had no choice but to believe her as Alice _did_ see the future. As they neared her house, she really didn't know if she'd be able to keep it together. Sure, she had been lying to her parents, but this was different. Their lives were at stake.

Another thought struck Kit, one that had nothing to do with the dangerous situation she was in, and her hand went to her mouth, her fingers touching her lips as she was momentarily distracted.

"Did Emmett kiss me?" she asked, unsure if the question was even appropriate or if Alice had seen the exchange.

"Yes!" Alice sounded oddly chipper, "He did. Did it bother you?"

"No," Kit said shyly. She lowered her hand, hoping that Alice couldn't see her blush, "It didn't."

Her thoughts on the kiss, however, left her mind completely when Alice pulled up at the side of her driveway. Both her parents cars were parked and there was no doubt that Indigo was home.

"Alice-

"You can do this, Kit," Alice interrupted, "You _have_ to, understand? You've told me that your sister is your whole world, right?" she didn't wait for Kit to confirm this and got out of the car to help Kit out of the harness, "Keep it together for her."

Kit hurriedly wiped her eyes and accepted the hand that Alice held out, hopping down from the Jeep. Together, they walked up to the front door, Kit trembling.

"Don't lose it," Alice warned fiercely, just as Kit managed to get the door open.

" _Kit_ , _is that you_?" came Everly's call from the living room.

With a small push from Alice, Kit staggered into the living room where her parents were sitting on the couch, Indigo squished between them.

"Alice, what a surprise!" Blake greeted, smiling, "Did you two have fun?"

"Yeah, we played baseball," Alice supplied, "My team won and Kit helped referee."

"That sounds fun," Everly commented, "Kit, honey, are you okay? Where's Emmett?"

Showtime.

"I—camping," Kit cleared her throat, "Um, Emmett's at home…packing. E-every year for Spring Break, the guys all go camping and the girls go to a spa. T-they invited Bella and I a-along."

"This is very last minute," Blake said with a frown.

"Well, Emmett was _supposed_ to tell her," Alice scowled, looking irritated, "But he's such a dork. I swear, he would forget his last name if teachers didn't call attendance," she glared at Kit, "Then, I tried calling you, but you're phone's _always_ off!"

"Ow!" Kit jumped, batting at stone when Alice pinched her, "Hey, watch it!"

Alice gave her a stern look and Kit pressed her lips together for only a moment, bringing her hand up to bite her nails.

Indigo giggled, "Isn't a spa, like, mud baths and stuff? Can't you just jump in a puddle or something?"

"That's different," Everly said absently, "Spas use clean mud," she looked at Alice, "How much is this trip?"

"No cost," Alice assured, "We book it every year. It's down in Seattle, not too far and she'll be gone for the week."

Seattle? Kit looked away, her throat tightening again. When she composed herself, she removed her hand from her mouth and looked back.

' _For your family_ , _your family_ , _your family_ ,' she chanted.

"Can I go?" she asked, "Please? I'll call when we get to the hotel."

Blake looked reluctant, but then Everly spoke.

"I don't know, Kit…" she said, "A whole week? We haven't even spoken to Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, yet."

"I can have my mom call you," Alice promised, "Though, if you're really not comfortable, I understand. We can do something during the summer. It will be more planned out."

Kit stared at Alice, perplexed, "What?"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Blake interjected, "It is a supervised trip, you are sixteen, and a break might be nice. You know, get away from Forks and get a facial or something. Paint your nails and relax."

"Seattle _is_ only a few hours away…" Everly added, contemplating, "But, Kit, if we say yes, you'll have to take your phone with you. No forgetting to charge it. I want you to have it on you at _all_ times."

Kit nodded slowly, picking at her jagged nails, "Yes, ma'am, I understand. So, I can go?"

"You can go," Blake concluded, "I trust the Cullens and it _is_ a girl's trip. I like that. Hurry, go pack."

"While Kit's packing, I'll tell you more about the trip," Alice offered.

"Great, I'll be right back," Kit rushed from the room, tears immediately welling up in her eyes. Upon reaching her room, she closed the door and locked it, unsure of what to do or where to start.

"Babe, you have to hurry."

Kit's eyes flew open and without thinking, she launched herself at Emmett, burrowing her face in his chest.

"Emmett…" she begged.

"I know, I know," Emmett tucked her head under his chin, "It's all right, you're going to be safe. Your family will be protected just as much as you will be. I promise. C'mon, I'll help you pack."

With that, they separated, Kit replacing Emmett's phone that was still tucked in her cardigan with her own and handed it back to him.

"So much for leaving my phone here," she joked coldly, folding clothes and stuffing them carefully into her leopard print, carry-on bag. She made sure to grab only pants and shirts, not having time to match her clothes. She went to the bathroom to retrieve her toiletries.

"Did it bother you?" Emmett suddenly asked, grabbing a skirt which Kit promptly took from his hands.

She put the skirt back in her closet, grabbing a couple of dresses and some heels. She knew what Emmett was referring to and cleared her throat, willing away her nerves,"No. I-I… _liked_ it."

At her admission, her face heated up dangerously and she grabbed fistfuls of socks and underwear, "C-can you pack my book, please? The one on my bedside table and my CD player?"

"You liked it," Emmett repeated, placing the two items into her bag, "I've been wanting to kiss you for awhile, but I wasn't sure..."

"…If it was too fast," Kit finished, a small smile twitching her lips at his nervousness, "You really are the sweetest. Don't worry, it wasn't too fast," she told him, zipping up her bag. She sighed, "That's it."

"I'll be waiting outside by the Jeep," Emmett said, cupping her face, "Unfortunately, you can't take your car."

"My…mom's…car," Kit corrected, her heart speeding up when he leaned closer, "A-are you going to kiss me again?"

Emmett chuckled, his cold breath hitting her face, "Do you mind?"

"Mm-mm," Kit hummed absently, eyes fluttering closed as his lips finally touched hers.

Kit had never been kissed before and had no idea if she was even doing it right. If she wasn't, Emmett didn't seem to mind, his lips being cold and very firm against her own, molding perfectly. She could tell he was trying to be careful. It was a wonderful feeling being kissed by Emmett, the butterflies in her stomach going wild. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him back.

Too quickly, it was over, and Emmett pulled away, a few inches of space between them. He gazed at Kit with such affection, still cupping her cheek.

"Too much?" he asked worriedly.

Kit pursed her lips and shook her head shyly. They hadn't... _made out_ or anything and he hadn't pressured her to do anything or go any further. No, it hadn't been too much.

"There's something I really want to tell you," Emmett said softly, bringing Kit back to the present.

"Don't," Kit said, eyes bright, "Not yet. If you do, I'm going to completely lose it and burst into tears like in an old movie and I still need to say goodbye to my family," she swallowed thickly, "So, you'll have to be patient. Can you wait until we're together again?"

"I can," Emmett promised. He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, "Go. I'll see you outside and I'll be running behind you guys. Keep it together. You can do it."

"I have to," she mumbled, going to lock her window after Emmett exited.

She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, pausing to look around, making sure she didn't forget anything. When she was sure that she hadn't, she left her room and took slow steps, stalling as long as she could.

Alice met her at the bottom of the stairs, "Ready?"

"No," Kit breathed.

"Fantastic!" Alice grinned, knowing she was still in earshot of Kit's parents.

"Honey, you look a little pale," Everly said, standing from the couch, "Are you feeling okay?"

Kit opened her mouth, then closed it again. She nodded jerkily, biting her lip, "M-mhm. Nervous."

"It will be fun," Everly assured, "Come here," she hugged, Kit, "Oh, I love you."

Kit hugged her mother tightly, "I love you too, mom," her voice cracked and a tear escaped, "Be safe."

"Are you sure you're all right?" Blake asked, the wind getting knocked out of him when Kit threw herself into his arms, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not allowed to hug my father?" Kit's voice shook and she forced a laugh, "Is that such a crime?"

"I guess not," Blake chuckled, "But you're being weird about it."

"I have cramps," Kit supplied, hoping the period excuse would once again, explain why she was so emotional.

"Oh," Blake said. He pulled away from the hug and looked Kit up and down, "Well, get some rest and take some pain medication. It'll probably help."

Kit nodded, picking up Indigo who cried out in protest, "Hey!"

"Shush!" Kit said, crushing her sister to her chest, "And give me a hug. I won't see you for a _whole_ week," she buried the sound of her sniffle in Indigo's shoulder, "I love, love, love you."

"That's two more love's than usual," Indigo said, pushing herself back, "Will you bring me back something from the spa?"

Kit laughed through her unfallen tears, "Like, what? Lotion or something?"

"Or something," Indigo agreed. She wriggled in Kit's grasp, "Now, put me down!"

Kit complied after peppering the side of Indigo's face with kisses.

"You guys should get going, it's getting late," Everly said, "Kit, call if you need anything or if you need us to come get you."

"And make sure you eat dinner," Blake scrunched his nose at Kit's pallor, "Low blood sugar runs in the family. You look a little pale."

"I will," Kit promised, "I love you guys."

"We love you too, Kit Kat," Everly smiled, "Have fun and drive carefully. You too, Alice."

Sensing that Kit was about to lose it, Alice took Kit's hand, "Thanks, you guys. Bye bye!"

"Bye, Alice, bye, Kitty!" Indigo called after them.

The door shut and the three returned to the couch, resuming the Hello Kitty movie they were watching.

"Kit was acting weirder than normal," Everly said, "I was waiting for her to have some kind of breakdown."

"She's been having a rough time," Blake told her, "And she's on her period. I bet she's so relieved that she gets a break, that she's emotional. What do you think, Princess?"

"Daddy, shhhhh!" Indigo hissed, "Mimi and Kitty are bringing color back!"

"Of course, what was I thinking?" Blake pulled his daughter closer, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **Another chapter posted and finished!**

 **A quick disclaimer (?): A reviewer kindly pointed out that perhaps this story could encourage people to hide bullying and not get help - you know, send the wrong message and I hope it does not. I wrote this story to bring light to bullying and the effects it can have.**

 **As someone who has been bullied before, it really is best that you tell someone whether it be your parents or a counselor at school. Keeping it to yourself really is _much_ worse and I encourage everyone to get help and if you are being bullied, then I'm sorry. You don't deserve it and I'm sure you're a lovely person.**

 **Thank you,**

 **FictionChic**


	19. We're Locked In Battle In A Lovers War

Right before Emmett's Jeep even came to a full stop at the Cullen's house, Kit found herself unbuckled from the harness and tucked against Emmett's chest, as he ran through the front door.

They burst into the large white room and Kit was set on her feet; Edward, Bella and Alice at her side. At the sound of her approach, everyone had gotten to their feet, Laurent among them.

Emmett growled, pulling Kit to his side. She was trembling again and he was surprised that she hadn't broken down in the car. Maybe she was trying to stay strong.

"He's tracking us," Edward announced, his glare deadly.

Laurent's face was unhappy, "Yes. I was afraid of that."

Alice danced to Jasper's side and whispered in his ear; her lips quivered with the speed of her silent speech. They flew up the stairs together.

Rosalie watched them, and then moved quickly to Emmett's other side. Her beautiful eyes were intense and—when they flickered unwillingly to Kit's face—furious, even more so when she glanced at Bella.

"What's his plan?" Emmett demanded.

"James," Laurent said gravely. He jerked his head towards Bella, "I'm sorry. I was afraid, when your boy there defended her, that it would set him off," he looked at Kit, "And Victoria. You smell absolutely _mouthwatering_ to her. It amazes me that she was able to control herself as well as she did in the field. Now that she has your scent, she will not stop and James will give her what she wants and he will get what he wants."

"Can you stop him?" Esme asked, desperate.

Laurent shook his head, "Nothing stops James once he gets started."

"We'll stop him," Emmett promised darkly.

"You cannot bring him down," Laurent said, just as confident as Emmett, "I've never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He's absolutely _lethal_. That is why I joined his coven."

Kit brought her hand to her locket, trying to find comfort and the motion brought her to Laurent's attention again. He stared at her, at a loss, then at Bella.

He looked at Carlisle, "Human girls…" he muttered, "Are you sure they are worth it?"

' _No_ ,' Kit thought, depressingly.

Edward's enraged roar filled the room and Kit cringed, Emmett's arm tightening around her.

Carlisle looked gravely at Laurent. "I'm afraid you are going to have to make a choice, here."

Laurent understood. He deliberated for a moment. His eyes took in every face, and finally swept the bright room. He nodded to himself, "I am intrigued by the life you've created here, but I won't get in the middle of this. I bear none of you any enmity, but I won't go up against James. I think I will head north—to that clan in Denali," he hesitated, looking at Edward, "Don't underestimate James. He's got a brilliant mind and unparalleled senses. He's every bit as comfortable in the human world as you seem to be, and he won't come at you head on…I'm sorry for what's been unleashed here. Truly sorry."

Carlisle gestured to the door, "We are thankful for your help and you may go in peace."

Laurent took another long look around himself, before vanishing out the door.

The silence lasted less than a second.

"How close?" Carlisle looked to Edward.

Esme was already moving; her hand touched an inconspicuous keypad on the wall, and with a groan, huge metal shutters began sealing up the glass wall.

"About three miles out past the river," Edward said, "He's circling around to meet up with the female."

"Alice and Jazz are going to run them South," Emmett informed.

"We'll lead him off first," Edward's eyes grew dark, "And as soon and Kit and Bella are in the clear, we hunt him."

Carlisle clearly didn't like the idea, but he nodded, his face grim, "I guess there is no other choice."

"Rosalie, will you and Kit switch clothes?" Emmett asked, his arm falling back down to his side, "Esme, can switch with Bella."

Rosalie looked positively livid, staring back at him with disbelief, "Why should I?" she hissed, "What is she to me? She's a _worthless_ human that means _nothing_ ," she glared at Kit, "You're nothing but a menace. A danger to us all. Just like _her_ ," she whipped her head around to glare at Bella.

' _I know_ ,' Kit thought, exhaling softly at the venom that laced Rosalie's voice.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean-

"Rosalie, stop it!" Emmett growled, cutting Kit off, "That's enough. Just do it!"

"Kit is with Emmett and Bella is with Edward," Carlisle went forward to place a hand on Rosalie's shoulder, sighing when she shook it off, "They are a part of this family, now and we protect our family. Now, switch clothes with Kit. This is nonnegotiable," his voice was authoritative.

Before she knew it, Kit was in Rosalie's arms while the blonde dashed up the stairs, setting Kit down in a dark room somewhere off the second-story hall.

"Take your clothes off," Rosalie ordered sharply.

Kit did this as quickly and as silently as possible, kicking off her heels and pulling off her tights. While she stripped, Rosalie's clothes were thrown at her and Kit struggled to find them in the dark room, pulling on the pants clumsily before she proceeded to remove Emmett's jacket and unbutton her cardigan. She made sure to get her cellphone from the pocket before replacing it in the one in Rosalie's jeans before she put on Rosalie's shirt and shoved her feet back into her heels.

Not a second later, Rosalie was pulling her back towards the stairs, failing to be as gentle as she should have been.

"W-wait, Rosalie?" Kit pulled back on her arm.

"What!?" Rosalie snapped, whirling around to glare, "What do _you_ want?"

"Not to be doing this," Kit answered honestly, "Indigo. She's my sister and she's eight. I get that you don't like me, okay? But _please_ ," she begged, "Protect my family. My sister…is everything to me."

Rosalie's glare softened considerably at the mention of Indigo and she looked ashamed for only a moment.

"Your family will be safe," was all she said before she took hold of Kit's arm again and led her down the stairs, more gently this time.

It appeared that everything had been settled downstairs in their absence. Edward and Emmett were ready to leave, Emmett carrying a heavy-looking backpack over his shoulder. Carlisle was handing something small to Esme who was now wearing Bella's clothes. Carlisle turned and handed Alice the same thing—it was a tiny silver cell phone.

As soon as Emmett spotted Rosalie, he burst into loud guffaws. His booming laughter caused everyone to look over, in shock, at the noise.

"Thank you, Rosalie," Kit mumbled, scrunching her nose, "I appreciate it."

"Whatever," Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"I think you look great, Rosie!" Emmett managed through his laughter.

"Shut up, Emmett!" Rosalie growled, "Is it my fault you date a girl who dresses like the food she consumes?"

Carlisle cleared his throat, getting back to the matter at hand, "Esme and Rosalie will be taking your truck, Bella," he told her, ignoring Rosalie's resentful glower, "Alice, Jasper—take the Mercedes. You'll need the dark tint in the south."

They nodded.

"We'll be taking the Jeep," he gestured to himself, Edward and Emmett.

Kit knew that Emmett would be in the hunting party, but still worried for him, showing it by digging her teeth into her lower lip.

"Will they take the bait, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

Everyone watched Alice as she closed her eyes and became incredibly still.

Finally her eyes opened and her voice was certain, "He'll track you. The woman will follow the truck. We should be able to leave after that."

"Let's go," Carlisle began to walk toward the kitchen, sending loving smiles in both Kit and Bella's direction.

But Emmett was at Kit's side, lifting her off the ground and crushing her to his chest in a bear hug.

"T-too hard," Kit gasped out, wincing, though she could tell he was still holding back.

Gasping, Emmett quickly set her down, checking her over for any injuries and gently touching her arms. When he found none, he ran his thumb over her bottom lip, asking silently for permission. However, it was Kit who hopped up onto one leg, her heel and the anglr giving her leverage to press her lips to Emmett's for just a moment before she went back down on both feet, face flushed. She bit her lip.

Chuckling, Emmett tilted her face up, staring into her emerald green eyes. His favorite color, he remembered telling her this when they had first eaten lunch together. Everything seemed so different then. He had changed. Kit had changed.

"I love you," he whispered to her, his face giving away every ounce of adoration he felt for her.

Kit's heart warmed in her chest and she felt it spread all over her body as she gazed into Emmett's eyes, feeling her cheeks pink. She was elated at the words (he said it, Emmett had _actually_ said it!), though it was diluted with worry that this could possibly be the last time he would say them.

"I-I love you, too," she hugged him as tight as she could, "Be safe and come back."

"I promise," Emmett pecked her cheek…then, the corner of her mouth and he was gone.

She stood there, staring at the spot Emmett had once occupied. The others were looking away from Bella as she cried and Kit approached her, placing her hand on Bella's shoulder and squeezing.

"It will be okay," Kit mumbled, unsure herself, "You just have to think positive."

Bella sniffled, "It's that easy?"

"No," Kit chuckled humorlessly, "Let's see…at least in the end—" she gave up, "Well, sometimes, you just have to believe that everything will be okay and that it will all work out. For all you know it may not be true, but, hey," Kit shrugged, "What else can you do?"

Bella frowned, stumped, "I don't know."

"It was a rhetorical question, Bella. Something to think about," Kit turned to face Esme when her phone vibrated. It flashed to her ear.

"Now," she said.

Rosalie didn't miss a beat, stalking out the front door without looking at anyone, but Esme touched both their cheeks as she passed.

"Be safe," she whispered to them before she slipped out the front door.

Bella's truck started thunderously, filling the silence, the sound fading away while Alice and Jasper waited.

Alice's phone was at her ear before it buzzed, "Edward says the woman is on Esme's trail," she announced to them, "I'll go get the car," she vanished into the shadows.

The buzzing of Alice's phone, reminded Kit that she had yet to turn on her own phone. She hoped her parents hadn't tried to call, knowing that she should be on her way to Seattle...maybe she should have been there already. While Bella and Jasper spoke to each other, Kit fumbled to turn the device on. She hated that she had to have it with her. The cellphone felt like it weighed ten pounds in her hands. She was going all the way to Phoenix, Arizona—a whole other state, yet she still couldn't escape her tormentors from school.

"Does your number trace back to Washington?" Jasper asked, eyeing her phone.

"I think so?" Kit flipped her phone over, "At least…it's a Washington number."

Jasper held his hand out, "Can I see?"

Kit tossed her phone over and Jasper caught it easily.

Alice stepped through the front door and advanced toward Bella with her arms held out, "May I?" she asked.

Bella smiled wryly, "You're the first to ask permission."

"Jasper?" Alice asked sweetly, Bella secure in her slender arms, "You'll carry Kit?"

Jasper looked at Kit, "If she is all right with it?"

"I am," Kit consented.

He nodded, handing her the phone, "It should be safe," he lifted Kit into his arms.

They flew out the door, leaving the bright lights of the house behind them. The sleek black car they borrowed from Carlisle was beautiful. The glass in the windows darker than those on a limousine and the engine was almost silent, despite racing across the black freeways at more than twice the legal speed as soon as Jasper had pulled out of the large garage.

Bella sat in the back with Alice and Kit sat up front with Jasper, who drove one-handed. Bella's head was against Alice's granite neck, her cold cheek resting on the top of Bella's head, not seeming to mind the tears soaking her thin cotton shirt.

"Shh, Bella," Alice hushed, stroking her hair, "It's going to be fine. Like Kit said: you have to believe that everything is going to be okay. We won't let anyone hurt you. Isn't that right, Jasper?"

"Yes," Jasper said, his eyes beseeching, "You both will be perfectly safe, as will your families."

But Bella wasn't convinced, a small sob escaping.

"Oh, Bella," Kit said sadly, reaching back to hold her hand.

"Remember what I said?" Jasper asked, glancing at Bella, "You are worth it."

Slowly, thanks to Jasper's gift, Bella managed to calm down, her eyes closing to fall into a restless sleep. Five minutes later she woke up in another panic.

"Our stuff!" she cried, voice thick, "My clothes! They're in my truck!"

Kit let go of Bella's hand. The bag she had packed completely escaped her mind, "Oh no, I left my bag in Emmett's Jeep!"

"Don't worry about anything," Alice said, "We'll take care of it. Try to sleep. Both of you."

Bella complied easily, though her sleep was fretful, being soothed by both Alice and Jasper when she would wake up and start panicking, her breathing uneven.

Kit, stayed awake, however, clicking through her phone, her thoughts going a million miles a minute. That weight was back, heavy on her shoulders.

' _Y do U think everyone hates U_? _It's because UR fat_!'

' _U R a loser_ , _worthless_ , _ugly_.'

' _Get some real clothes_. _No one's buying the innocent look_. _Skank_.'

' _Y R U still here_? _Nobody wants you_.'

She exited the text messages one by one, not even bothering to read a majority of them, considering how repetitive they all were. It got old, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

She bit her lip, finally closing the last text message, one that told her to jump off a building before she sent a quick text to her dad, telling him that she had fallen asleep and was going to get a manicure—she was having fun and they needed to make sure that they stayed safe.

Kit held back a sigh when another text came through. She had long ago been able to decipher who was who. Jessica and Lauren were more heartless and cruel. Ashley was the one who called her fat and worthless, and Katie was the one who told her that she sucked and had no friends.

Kit hadn't even gone through her emails, yet. Most of them weren't actually emails—everything was written in the subject line. She just needed to mark them 'unread' and put them in another folder to clear out her Inbox.

"Give me your phone."

Kit looked at Jasper, startled. He still had one hand on the wheel and was facing forward, but his other hand was extended towards her.

"W-what?" she whispered, eyebrows drawing together.

"Your phone," Jasper repeated stoically, "Give it. I'll let you know if your parents call or try to contact you. I promise, I won't look through it…I don't think you should, either."

Wordlessly, Kit placed her phone in Jasper's hand, watching him place it into his pants pocket. As soon as it was out of sight, she felt tiredness like never before sweep over her. Her eyelids felt heavy and no matter how hard she tried, Kit couldn't keep them open any longer.

* * *

"Kit? Kit, wake up!"

A cold hand shook Kit awake and she jolted; her hands going to rub her eyes.

"Wha…?" she rasped. She was still being jostled, "Stop, I'm awake! What's going on?"

She removed her hands and saw Alice peering at her, the passenger door wide open. Kit looked around in confusion.

"We're outside of L.A," Alice explained, reaching over to unbuckle Kit's seat belt, "In an underground parking garage. Come on, hurry up. You've been asleep for hours!"

Kit blinked, still a little groggy. When had she fallen asleep?

"Um…"

"Come on," Alice smiled, pulling Kit out of the car, "Let's go."

Once upright, Kit stretched her arms high above her head and yawned, rubbing the rest of the sleep out of her eyes when she relaxed. She looked at Bella, who was dead on her feet, her eyes swollen and red-rimmed.

"Stay with the car," Alice instructed Jasper.

"Are you sure?" Jasper sounded apprehensive.

"Yes," Alice kissed him quickly, "We're shopping for lady things. Besides, I don't see anyone here."

Jasper nodded, consenting.

Kit was kept close to Alice's side as the pixie-like vampire led her and Bella into the shopping mall, making sure to keep to the shadows. When they entered, the mall was crowded, many groups of shoppers passed, some of them turning their heads to watch the trio go by.

"Can we stop by the bathroom?" Kit asked, "Please?"

Alice changed directions and after Kit used the bathroom and washed her hands, she found herself standing in front of the bathroom mirror, cringing at her appearance. Rosalie's clothes fit her awkwardly and while Alice had said that Kit slept for hours, there were still bags under her eyes. Her hair was in disarray and Kit ran her hands under the sink faucet, using her wet fingers to smooth out her locks and cool herself down.

Bella's face was being wiped down by Alice, who had a cool paper towel in one of her hands.

"The circles under your eyes are worse than mine," Alice commented, blotting around Bella's red eyes, "Don't grumble at me, like that. You know Edward's going to read my mind when he gets here, and if he sees that I left you alone for even a second…" she trailed off, unwilling to reveal the dire consequences.

Kit moved aside after washing her face and hands, letting Bella do the same. She tried to help Bella comb her hair, like she had done with her own, but Bella quickly gave up, letting Alice drag them out of the bathroom and towards the food court.

"What do you guys want to eat?" she asked, her tone leaving no room for persuasion.

"A turkey sub," Bella mumbled, unenthusiastic.

"I'm not hungry," Kit bit her lip, dark thoughts in her mind, "I'll eat later."

Alice narrowed her eyes, "Get something. I can order for you. You're a vegetarian," her eyes scanned the menu.

In the end, Kit settled on a Cesar salad with no anchovies and dressing on the side. It was basically a small container of lettuce and croutons and Kit picked at it as she sipped on a bottle of raspberry flavored water.

It unnerved her that Alice was watching them eat, but her dark gold eyes went to Bella when the sound of a straw sucking at air broke the silence.

"I'll get you another," Alice said, standing. Her eyes fell on Kit's full container, but she didn't say anything as she went to fetch the drink, her eyes never leaving them.

"How are you feeling?" Kit asked, looking at Bella, "You look tired."

"A bit," Bella answered honestly, "I'm worried."

"Me too," Kit exhaled softly.

"You have to trust us," Alice returned with Bella's soda, "I'm watching their decisions and I'll know if anything's happened, okay? Drink up."

Bella sipped at the soda, and Kit, her water, continuing to push around her salad, gathering the croutons into a pile that she wouldn't touch.

She felt nauseous and her muscles were so tense that it hurt. The food court was crowded with strangers. There was a group of friends occupying the next table over. She felt…uneasy. What if she dropped salad on her shirt or got something on her mouth or stuck in her teeth? She could cause a huge and embarrassing scene if she choked on her food. What if she ate and people stared? Like Lauren and her friends…what if they _laughed_ at her?

Kit couldn't eat in front of all these strangers.

Not only that, but her stomach still stuck out, the fat straining against the form-fitting clothes that she wore. She had seen it only twenty minutes ago when she had been trying to fix her appearance in the bathroom mirror. She was surprised that her massive thighs hadn't ripped right through Rosalie's expensive too tight jeans.

They were petty thoughts, considering everything that was happening and she was disgusted with herself for thinking of anything but her family...both of them.

"Kit, are you finished?"

Kit looked up, nodding mutely, placing her fork in the container and closing it. She followed Alice and Bella to throw her trash away, tossing the water in after it.

After they had thrown everything away, Alice grabbed their hands and Kit tried to keep up as she was led through the wide corridors of the mall, Alice faltering in her steps, eyes lit up when she saw something she wanted.

"We'll have to come back, one day," she said conversationally, "Kit, you don't really go shopping, do you?"

"Not really..." Kit said, her voice quieting when they entered an expensive boutique.

Alice purchased four pairs of expensive sunglasses, three woman's and one men's. The cashier gave them all a weird look when Alice handed over a clear credit card with gold lines across it.

"Thank you," Kit said to Alice when they left, a small bag in tow, "It's very kind of you."

"No problem," Alice grinned, her jaw tight, "Oh, let's go into this shop."

It was an accessory shop where she picked up two hairbrushes and some rubber bands.

"You're not going to be picky, are you?" Alice asked Kit, hauling them to another store, "I know Bella won't be, but you have a particular style. We won't be finding anything vintage in this shop."

Kit cracked a small smile, "I'm drowning in disappointment."

Alice laughed, a sound that turned heads, "I'll try to find something close. Bella, you're about a size two," she held up a shirt to Bella's front, "Yep! Here."

That's when Alice really got to work. Alice went from rack to rack, picking out clothes and loading the two girls down. Her eyes occasionally flicked to their faces, worry clear on her elfin face, but she didn't comment on it, only picking out more shoes or a pair of pants or a dress. Occasionally, Alice would pick out something for herself in an extra-small, adding to Kit or Bella's pile. A wide brimmed, black straw hat was added to Bella's and Kit realized that the sun was still out and whatever happened to vampires in the sun, Alice needed to cover as much as her skin as possible.

When they were finished clothes shopping, Kit staggered after Alice to the register where they were met with another weird look from the salesgirl, who immediately perked up when Alice handed over the credit card, a professional smile plastered on her face.

"Miss Rachel Lee, would you like anything while you wait?" the salesgirl asked, "We have some water or coffee."

"No, thank you," Alice declined politely, "Can you make sure you put these clothes and these ones in separate bags?"

"Of course, Miss!" the salesgirl chirped, beginning to separate Kit and Bella's clothes.

They spent more than fifteen minutes at checkout and when they were all loaded down with bags, Alice still somehow maintained a grip on Bella and Kit's hands.

"Rachel Lee?" Kit asked, confused, "Who's that?"

"Me, silly!" Alice said, "That's what the credit card says. We're going to be careful not to leave any kind of trail for the Tracker. Let's go back to the bathroom. You both need to get changed."

Kit was shocked by that revelation, noticing briefly how Bella seemed to get lost in thought. What had Alice meant by that? Could a Tracker do more than just track them physically? What kind of extent would this James go in order to find them?

"Kit, it's going to be okay," Alice said in a low voice, feeling Kit's pulse increase, "Emmett's one of the strongest vampires ever. No one is going to hurt him. No one is in any danger. Trust me."

Kit didn't respond to that, failing to find the proper way to do so. They were back in the bathroom now and Kit stepped back, letting Bella change first in the handicapped stall.

While Alice rummaged through the bags in search of something, Kit caught the clothes that Bella threw over the door.

"Throw them away," Alice said, slipping a pair of leather sandals under the stall.

Kit stuffed them into the trashcan and then it was her turn to change. She tugged off Rosalie's jeans and yanked off the blouse, tossing them over the door. She was left in her undergarments, her locket cool against her skin. She didn't dare look down at her body, keeping her gaze on the stall door.

A light yellow long-sleeve silk Jersey dress was tossed over the door and a pair of light tan soft caged heels that zipped up the back appeared under the stall. The dress was soft against her skin and fit perfectly, the shoes just as comfortable.

' _Thank goodness I shaved_ ,' Kit thought, adjusting the dress before she left the stall.

"Keep your other heels," Alice said when Kit came out.

Kit nodded and put her red heels on top of one of her bags, picking it up along with many others.

When they went back to the garage, Jasper was standing outside the car, arms folded across his chest. He gave Alice a sardonic look when he took the bags from Bella.

"I knew I should have gone," he muttered.

"Yes," Alice rolled her eyes, helping Kit with her bags, "By all means, they would have _loved_ you in the women's bathroom."

Jasper didn't respond, accepting the pair of sunglasses that Alice handed him. He put them on his face and Kit did the same.

"Do you need help with anything?" Kit asked, taking the hairbrush Alice held out and pulling it through it hair.

"No," Alice yanked on a long-sleeved black shirt, leaving it open over her t-shirt, adding the straw hat to complete her look, "Get in the car, try to get some more sleep."

Kit obediently went back to the passenger seat, buckling her seat belt and drawing her knees up to her chest as best she could.

"You shouldn't have gotten me all those things," Bella mumbled from the backseat.

"Don't worry about it, Bella," Alice's voice was restful, "Sleep."

"Thank you," Bella's words slurred and she fell back into an uneasy slumber.

After a long while of driving in silence and sleep eluding her, Kit turned to Jasper.

"Can I have my phone?" she asked quietly, the question coming out awkward, "To call my parents?"

Jasper handed it over, much to Kit's surprise and she went through her contact list, calling her home phone.

It rang a few times and then the line clicked, Kit's eyes fluttering closed as she struggled to keep her composure. The fact that she had an audience, helped.

" _Hello_?"

"H-hi, mom," Kit cleared her throat, "Hey, it's me."

" _Hi_ , _honey_!" Everly chirped, " _We got your text_ … _er_ , _your father did_ — _I think_. _Something about a manicure_ , _right_?"

It was Jasper's gift that kept her sadness at bay and Kit nodded, "Yes, that was the one. How are you? Are you guys all right?"

" _Dandy_ ," Everly said, " _Indigo's driving me nuts_ ," she chuckled, " _You're not here to balance her out_."

"What?" Kit laughed and she glanced at Jasper, thankful, "What do you mean?"

" _She wants a dog_ ," Everly dropped her voice to a low tone, " _I told her I'd think about it and then_ — _what's this about a midlife crisis_?"

"Oh, that," Kit shook her head, "She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. I told her to be patient—you know, dance to her own beat. Don't worry, she'll be okay, but I think she needs a hobby. A class or something."

" _Yes_ , _your father and I were talking about it_ ," Everly agreed, " _Indi's at that age_ , _now_ ," she sighed heavily, " _My girls are growing up so fast_ , _I can't take it_."

"Aww, mom," another chuckle forced its way past Kit's lips, "I-I miss you."

" _I miss you too_ ," Everly promised, " _Your father is out with Indigo taking pictures_ , _but I'll_ -

"Wait, what?!" Kit interrupted, forgetting that Bella was trying to sleep in the back, "You're home _alone_?"

" _I'm a big girl_ , _honey_ ," Everly said, unnerved by Kit's panic, " _What's the matter_?"

"What if-if they get mauled a-a bear or something?" Kit exclaimed, "Mom!"

" _Ever the paranoid caretaker_ ," Everly said lovingly, used to the volume of Kit's voice, " _Honey_ , _they go out and take pictures_ _ **all**_ _the time_. _I doubt they're going to get mauled by a bear_. _They know how to be safe and I can handle being home by myself_. _I'm making a snack_ , _right now_. _Do you know if we have any trail mix_?"

Even with Jasper's influence, tears threatened to well-up in Kit's eyes and she pursed her lips, afraid that if she spoke she would start crying. She wasn't sure what to do or what to say in this situation. She was on her way to Phoenix. It's not like she could go back home and make sure her family was safe.

"Kit, let's go, we're going to be late!" Alice called, making sure her voice would be heard on the other end of the phone.

" _Oh_ , _it sounds like your busy_ ," Everly said, " _Why don't you call me back when you have a moment_?"

"O-okay," Kit stuttered, "Sure."

" _You sound sad_ ," Everly's tone was unhappy, " _Are you homesick_?"

"Mhm," Kit hummed, a tear sliding down her face, "A bit," she squeaked.

" _It's just a week in Seattle_ ," Everly soothed, " _You'll be home before you know it_. _Now go have fun_."

"I will," Kit promised, clearing her throat, "I love you."

" _I love you more_ ," Everly said.

More tears and Kit wiped them quickly, "N-not possible," she managed.

" _Yes_ , _possible_ ," Everly said, " _Bye_ , _Kit Kat_."

"Bye," she hung up her phone and sniffed, rubbing her fists over her eyes, the glasses pushed up as she leaned over, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked. So quietly that Kit struggled to hear her.

"I'm fine," Kit said absentmindedly. She wasn't going to lose it, "That was just…harder than I thought it would be. Rosalie can't keep an eye on them when they're separated like that."

"I'm watching," Alice said as if that was the solution to everything.

"Okay," Kit whispered. She sat up and handed her phone back to Jasper. She knew she wouldn't be able to look through anymore text messages or emails. Her hands were trembling fiercely and she could barely hold her phone.

She always made a point to try and control her emotions when she was around Jasper, but lately that had become more difficult and she failed to do so. Again, his gift worked its magic, calming her down and she relaxed, resting her arm on the car's windowsill.

.

.

.

.

"…Yeah, it's _a lot_ of fun, Dad…"

Kit slowly came to awareness, groggy and disoriented from sleep. Her stomach rumbled, but she ignored it, though the feeling roused her further. She registered Bella talking on the phone to Chief Swan and sat up, removing her stiff arm from the windowsill.

The sun was just falling behind the horizon. The traffic was light and they appeared to be downtown. Was this Phoenix?

Alice was instructing Jasper to turn this way and that and eventually, he pulled into a valet parking lot under the shade of a ramada in front of a luxury hotel.

A group of bellhops immediately rushed over, opening their doors and waiting for them to step out of the car. Kit stumbled a little, still groggy, but she recovered easily and rubbed her eyes beneath the sunglasses to clear her vision and become more alert. She was stiff from the many hours in the car and being outside, she concluded that being in Phoenix was like stepping into an oven set to the highest temperature.

Jasper opened the trunk and the obsequious staff members quickly unloaded the shopping bags onto a shiny brass cart. They were very well trained and no odd looks were given.

Kit walked beside Alice who kept a careful arm around Bella, Jasper several steps ahead and walking confidently through the empty lobby, approaching the desk with his unconsciously regal air.

"Bower," he said curtly.

The information was quickly processed and they were led to the large hotel suite. There were two bedrooms, one for Kit, one for Bella and the bellhops unloaded the correct bags into each room efficiently.

While Bella sat on the sofa to settle, Kit went to her room and began to organize her clothes, wiping down surfaces with soap and water from the bathroom. She was unable to find Clorox wipes.

After she was satisfied with the state of her room, she took her sunglasses off and returned to the main room. Jasper was busy shutting all the curtains. She went to sit by Bella on the sofa, who looked completely devastated.

"Perk up, buttercup," she rubbed Bella shoulder, unsure of how else to offer comfort.

Bella leaned her head on Kit's shoulder, "Did you call your parents?"

"Yes," Kit sighed softly, "I talked to my mom. They seem to be okay…I'm really worried about them, but there's nothing I can do but trust Rosalie to keep them safe."

Alice came over and dropped a room service menu into their laps, "Order something."

"I'm fine," Bella replied dully, not lifting her head.

Kit said nothing, praying that her stomach wouldn't betray her by making more noise.

Alice shot them a dark look, huffing and snatching up the phone from its hook along with the menu. Kit thought she had caught Edward's name through her murmuring.

"Alice, really…" Bella started, but stopped mid-protest at Alice's look. She sighed, settling more against Kit's shoulder and closing her eyes.

Kit hummed softly to her, stroking Bella's arm. Alice was ordering food and she did her best not to pay attention. She hoped the rest of the Cullens were all right and was still worried about her sister and parents, despite already talking to her mother. Her hands were still shaking.

Alice hung up the phone, going to sit on the arm of the couch by Kit, "Do you want to find a movie to watch?"

"No," Kit shook her head. The news was currently on, "That's all right," she looked at Alice, "Do you think everyone's okay?"

"I do," Alice said, nodding, "If anything changes, Carlisle will call."

"Oh," she looked up, feeling bad for her uncaring response, "I'm sorry, I'm not contributing much to the conversation, am I?"

"That's all right," Alice patted Kit's head, "You seem to have a lot on your mind."

"Mhm," Kit hummed, her eyes losing focus for a moment.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Alice asked hopefully.

Kit shook her head with a terse smile, "No thank yo-

She was cut off by the sound of someone knocking on the door. Bella jumped awake, sliding off the couch and onto the floor, cracking her head on the coffee table.

Kit gasped, scrambling to help her and she looked up when Jasper laughed once, a hand over his mouth to smother the rest of his amusement. Apparently, she was the only one worried as even Alice had her lips pressed together, the corners twitching.

"Are you okay?" Kit helped Bella back to the couch.

"Ow," Bella blushed and rubbed at her head, burying it in her hands, "M'fine."

The smell of food filled the room and Kit dug her teeth into her lower lip as Alice carried over the trays, setting one in front of her and one in front of Bella.

"You need protein," she said before lifting the silver domes off the trays.

Bella's tray was filled with a large steak and a decorative potato sculpture. Kit's held a three cheese ravioli topped with a sun-dried tomato cream sauce and sautéed vegetables.

"No meat, Kit," Alice assured, handing them some napkins and silverware.

Bella began to eat quickly, but Kit hesitated. She felt sick again…self-conscious. Alice, Jasper, and Bella had never laughed at her for eating, had never called her fat, or stared at her with accusing eyes. There was no reason for them to start, but…she couldn't shake the feeling.

She picked at the vegetables on the top of the pasta, much like she had done back at the mall food court. Not once did the fork touch her mouth and she kept her gaze down, half-listening to the news and the blurred sounds of Jasper and Alice talking.

There was a second knock on the door and Kit startled when Bella jumped to her feet, dropping her fork onto the tray with a loud clatter.

"Bella, you need to calm down," Jasper said, as Alice answered the door.

A member of the housekeeping staff handed over two small bags with the hotel logo on it and left with a kind smile.

Kit accepted one of the bags and peered inside. Toothbrush, toothpaste and all kinds of toiletries that she had left in Emmett's Jeep were inside.

"You're so kind to me," Bella choked out, voice clogged with emotions. She looked to Jasper and Alice, then her head fell on Kit's shoulder.

Kit patted the side of Bella's head and smiled, "Thank you," she looked at Jasper, "Both of you."

She moved aside when Jasper went to approach Bella and watched as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You both are part of the coven, now," he teased, smiling warmly.

Kit watched, shocked as Bella's eyes began to droop, her body swaying.

"Very subtle, Jasper," Alice said wryly, picking up Bella and carrying her to the bedroom.

"She needs to relax," Jasper explained, turning to face Kit, "Alice is going to stay with her," he gestured to the couch, "Sit."

Kit shook her head, replacing the silver dome on the tray, "Thanks, Jasper, but I'm feeling a little tired. I think I'll try to get some more sleep," she gave him a small smile, "Oh, can you give me my phone? Please?" she felt weird asking, but didn't want to come off rude, by demanding that he hand it over.

He pursed his lips at her, staring intently. Finally, he nodded and handed over the device, sighing softly.

"Sleep well," he muttered.

Her lips quirked up a little, "Thanks," she paused, the smile falling. She tilted her head to the side, "How are you doing? Are you okay?"

Jasper chuckled and he nodded, knowing what she was implying, "It's not too bad. Thank you for asking, Kit."

"Of course. Just…be careful," she touched his shoulder as she passed, returning to the large bedroom that she would occupy while in Phoenix.

She sat on the edge of the king-sized bed. She missed Emmett terribly as well as the rest of the Cullens. She cared about them very much. All of them. What if Esme got hurt or Edward? What if Victoria ambushed Rosalie and then went after the others? Kit wouldn't be able to bear it.

With a slight shake of her head, Kit removed the high heels, going to nestle herself under the covers where she proceeded to to stare at the wall.

' _It's going to be okay_ ,' she thought, ' _It just has to be_ …'


	20. Lay Down A List Of What Is Wrong

Kit jerked awake, her breathing labored as she tried to catch it. The dress she had yet to take off, was slightly damp and she was warm with sweat, her arm going to wipe across her forehead.

She hadn't been having a nightmare. In fact, it was a dreamless sleep and she didn't understand why she had woken up the way she did.

"But now I need a shower, ick," she whispered to herself, pushing the thick comforter aside to climb to her feet. She yawned and stretched before she padded over to the many shopping bags that had been left at the foot of the bed.

She picked out an all over floral ivy printed silk dress, grabbing the bag of toiletries as she passed the dresser on the way to the bathroom.

She stripped out of the clothes and cranked on the shower, stepping in once enough steam had filled the room. The water was hot—possibly too hot, but Kit found it soothing and submerged herself completely, running her hands through her hair to try and detangle it.

The hotel shampoo and conditioner were great quality and the lather was nice and soft against her scalp.

She let her thoughts wander to Emmett again. She wondered what he and the rest of the hunting party were doing. Had they found James? If not, how long would it take to find him? What about Victoria?

' _Please come back_ ,' she thought again, ' _Be okay_ …'

And what about Rosalie and Esme? Had anything changed? They were still in Forks keeping watch over Kit's family and Bella's father. Kit hoped they were doing all right and weren't getting too thirsty. They still needed to take care of themselves.

"Whoa," Kit shuddered, the sudden feeling of pins and needles startling her out of her anxious thoughts.

She felt weak and empty and she put her hand against the shower wall to brace herself, slowly sinking to her knees. Small tremors shook her body despite the water's temperature. She tried to call out for Alice, but couldn't form the words, the fog in her brain too much to think through.

Reaching out a shaking arm, Kit managed to turn the handle, setting the water to cold. The chilled water beating down on her helped her hang on to the little focus she had and while she was still shivering, more so than she had been, it helped the dizziness some.

With the shower still running, Kit crawled out of it and onto the bathroom floor, the tiles almost as cool as the water. She reached up and pulled down a towel hanging on the rack and managed to wrap it around herself before she grabbed the counter, using all her strength to stagger to her feet.

Wrapped loosely in the towel and feeling the dizziness wash over her, Kit stumbled almost blindly out of the bathroom and flopped down face-first on the large bed when her body came in contact, pushing herself atop it with her feet and pulling the other side of the covers over herself.

Kit didn't realize that her eyes had closed until there was a knock at her door.

" _Kit_?" it was Alice and she sounded worried, " _Can I come in_?"

"Mhm," Kit hummed, closing her eyes again.

Alice was standing at the side of the bed and the shower had stopped, "I heard a bunch of noise. You look awful," she quipped.

"Thanks," Kit mumbled, "…Good friend."

"Can you sit up?" Alice asked, "I brought you juice. You need the sugar."

With energy Kit didn't know she had, she managed to laugh, her eyes fluttering open. Alice was indeed holding juice. Apple by the looks of it. That only made Kit laugh harder, but she stopped quickly when she felt nauseous, worried that she would throw up.

"Like when we first met," Kit said, slightly slurred, Alice's hand behind her back, helped her into a sitting position and Kit made sure to keep the towel in place.

"Yeah," Alice matched Kit's smile and held out the bottle, "I even got you a straw."

Struggling to steady her hands, Kit took the juice and just as she brought the straw to her lips, she peeked up at Alice.

"T-thanks," she said quietly.

Alice nodded and made a big show of turning around, "You're welcome. Come out to the living room when you're ready. There's some food for you."

When the door closed and Alice gone, Kit guzzled the juice down, sucking even faster as she felt the sugars hit her bloodstream and her energy returning. It was gone in a matter of seconds and she placed the bottle aside.

She was still a little shaky, but feeling a lot better. She laid back down to gather her wits and closed her eyes.

It was thirty minutes later when she felt well enough to move. Carefully, she got up from the bed and returned to the bathroom, her hand on the wall to keep herself steady just in case.

She dried off properly before getting ready, combing her hair and rubbing lotion into her face with shaking hands. The hotel hair products left her wavy hair shiny and bouncy. She added a little conditioner to it to keep it from getting frizzy, putting on deodorant and more lotion to her skin.

Low blood sugar. That had been the occurrence. She had been stupid enough to push her body, knowing full well that low blood sugar ran in the family. It had been idiotic and thoughtless. She knew better than that.

' _I'm such an idiot_ ,' she thought, shaking her head, ' _I'm so embarrassed_. _Get it together_ , _Kit_. _You're better than this_.'

Sighing heavily, she pulled on her undergarments before slipping the dress over her head. It fit perfectly and felt amazing, the ruffled waist giving her room to move about. She went back to her room and dug through the bags until she found a pair of black socks to slip on her feet.

When she finally emerged to the front room, light was peaking around the edges of the thick curtains. Jasper was sitting at a desk in a corner and Alice was perched on the arm of the sofa, both were staring patiently at the nearly muted TV and Bella was on the floor, next to the coffee table, picking at a tray of food. There was a second one beside it.

"Ahh, much better," Alice sniffed the air and looked at Kit, "You needed the juice, the sugars in your blood were _really_ off. Your scent is almost back to normal," she pointed firmly at the tray on the table, "Eat."

Kit went to sit obediently on the floor and got a closer look at the food. It was some kind of French toast with berry compote and a decorative yogurt granola parfait. She picked up a spoon and began picking at the yogurt.

"What's wrong, Alice?" Bella asked.

Kit looked up to gauge Alice's reaction, uneasy about the meekness of Bella's voice.

"Nothing's wrong," Alice insisted, her wide eyes honest.

"Well..." Bella bit her lip, "What do we do now?"

"We wait for Carlisle to call," Alice said simply.

"And shouldn't he have called by now!?" Bella demanded, close to panicking.

Dread pooled in Kit's stomach when Alice's eyes flitted from them to the phone on top of her leather bag, then back.

"What does that mean?" Bella's voice quavered and Kit placed a hand on her shoulder, "That he hasn't called yet?"

Kit kept her mouth shut. Her and Bella shared the same mind currently and she was sure her eyes betrayed her own worry.

Alice remained calm, "It just means they don't have anything to tell us."

Jasper was suddenly beside Bella, closer to her than usual.

"Bella," he said in a suspiciously soothing voice. "You have nothing to worry about. You are _completely_ safe here."

Bella nodded, "I-I know that."

"Then why are you frightened?" he asked, confused.

"You heard what Laurent said," Bella whispered, "He said James was _lethal_. What if something goes wrong, and they get separated? If-if something happens to any of them, Carlisle, Emmett… Edward…" she gulped when she said his name, "If that wild female hurts Esme…" her voice grew higher and Kit winced at the pitch, "How could I live with myself when it's _my_ fault? None of you should be risking yourselves for me —"

"Bella, Bella, stop," Jasper finally interrupted Bella, giving her a chance to take a breath, "You're worrying about all the wrong things. Trust me on this—none of us are in jeopardy. You are under _too_ much strain as it is; don't add to it with wholly unnecessary worries. Listen to me, both of you!" he ordered and Kit flicked her eyes up, "Our family is strong. Our only fear is losing you both."

"But why should you—

It was Alice who interrupted Bella this time, her cold fingers going to touch Bella's cheek, but she addressed both girls.

"You have to realize," she started, "Emmett and Edward have been alone for _far_ too long. Now, they've found you. You can't see the changes that we see, we who have been with them for so long. Do you think any of us want to look into their eyes for the next hundred years if Edward loses you Bella—if Emmett loses you, Kit?"

Kit's shoulders relaxed as calm spread throughout her and her gaze broke from Alice's dark eyes back to the untouched tray.

After taking a deep breath and counting to ten in her head, Kit closed her eyes and shoved a large bite of yogurt into her mouth and swallowed.

' _I did it_ ,' she thought, thinking past all the self-loathing thoughts, ' _It's fine_ , _Kit_ , _you're fine_.'

Time passed slowly cooped up in the hotel room. Alice called down to the front desk and canceled the maid service. The windows stayed shut, the TV on, though no one really watched it.

It took Kit more than forty-five minutes to finish her breakfast. All of the yogurt parfait and a quarter of the French toast. When she was finished, she pushed the tray away and returned to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

She wrinkled her nose at herself in the mirror and looked away, returning to the front room. Bella fidgeted and paced and Kit watched her from the place she had taken on the couch.

"Do you want to talk?" she asked quietly, "You're going to wear a hole in the floor."

Bella didn't answer and continued her pacing. Eventually, Kit got up and pulled on Bella's wrist.

"Come here," she urged, lowering them both to the floor, "I want to show you something."

"What?" Bella frowned, looking ready to jump out of her skin.

Kit pointed to the abstract print on the couch. Tans, peaches, creams, dull golds. A mess of colors.

"Fabric?" Bella's frowned deepened.

"No, look," Kit traced a blue spot on the couch, "It looks like a hand. Doesn't it?"

Bella's eyes narrowed into slits and she tilted her head to the side, "I-I guess…"

"Why don't you try to find one?" Kit suggested, "It's like trying to find pictures in the clouds. Did you ever do that?"

"Yeah…as a kid…" Bella mumbled, thankful for the distraction. She pointed to one, tracing a shape, "It looks like a woman combing her hair."

"This one looks like a cat stretching," Kit pointed, "And here's a shoe."

They continued the game for a surprisingly long time, stopping when there was a knock at the door, both looking up, slightly panicked.

It was lunch. Mac and cheese for Kit. Cavatappi pasta cooked in a perfectly round bowl and smothered in buttery bread crumbs that toasted at the edges.

It was worse than the breakfast and Kit fidgeted, unable to even break the surface with her fork. It was a weird feeling. Kit _loved_ mac and cheese. As a vegetarian who didn't like a majority of the vegetables and one that was disgusted by any kind of fake meat substitute, her food choices were very limited.

Mac and cheese was one of her favorite foods and she was sure this one was delicious—it certainly looked delicious and she was hungry, knowing now what could happen if she missed another meal, but there was something stopping her.

Despite wanting to lose weight, she wasn't concerned about calories or fat or carbs or…whatever! No, it was something else. It just…felt like the whole world was staring at her, though she knew that wasn't true. There was only three other people in the hotel room. Two of them had their eyes glued unblinkingly to the TV and the other was staring at her own tray. No one was looking at Kit.

Still, Kit covered the tray, picking up another bottle of juice that Alice had ordered. Apple again and she slipped it slowly.

She glanced at the silver cellphone that had yet to ring and exhaled softly, going back to staring at the tabletop. If Carlisle didn't have anything to tell them, perhaps that was a good thing.

' _I'll need to call my parents again_ ,' she thought, fingers playing with the label on the bottle. She had left her cellphone back in the bedroom, ' _To make sure they're still safe_. _Indi, too_.'

Kit blinked, looking up when Bella climbed to her feet.

"I'm going back to bed," she said softly.

Kit watched her shuffle back to her bedroom, eyebrows knitted together worriedly. A few seconds passed and Alice got up to follow, giving Kit a reassuring wink.

Finishing the last of the juice, Kit placed the empty bottle back on the table, unsure of what to do. Having no plans to eat, yet, she climbed onto the couch, brushing imaginary crumbs off her dress.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked, turning to look at Jasper, "Your eyes…"

Jasper smiled softly, darting to sit by her on the couch. Closer than Kit thought he would get.

"It's manageable," he promised. He looked her up and down, then went back to staring at the TV, "I'm glad we have a moment alone, Kit. I wanted to speak to you."

"Oh?" Kit asked.

"...You don't have to pretend that it doesn't bother you," he said softly, "They're being unnecessarily and horribly cruel…for _fun_. Don't you see? It _should_ bother you—it does and I can feel it."

"I…" Kit's voice caught in her throat, barely above a whisper, "I don't mean to hurt you, Jasper…I-I'm sorry, I don't...want to be a burden."

"You wouldn't be. Never," Jasper mumbled, "But you're hurting and I'm…concerned," he admitted, albeit reluctantly, "You're emotions have changed drastically and I know it's not my place—I may be out of line," finally, he looked at her, but Kit had looked away, "You don't have to do this alone."

"I hate worrying people," Kit whispered, lowering her head. She shook it, "I-I don't know if I can talk about this," her voice betrayed her exhaustion of the whole matter.

"If you want, Carlisle can help," Jasper placed his hand on her shoulder, increasing his gift by a fraction, "In fact, if you continue to refuse food, you'll probably have an appointment with him soon."

Kit's head snapped up and her face warmed, the flush spreading all the way down to her neck and up to her ears.

Jasper took note of her reaction. He knew he was pushing her, possibly a tad bit too far, but her emotions had changed since they had left Forks. A ton of anxiety and while he couldn't exactly pinpoint the reasons behind her emotions, he did notice her anxiety increasing when she was in front of food, her eyes darting around as if someone was going to jump out at her.

Kit let out a long rush of air and nodded. She wasn't alone, she knew that—she knew that very well. She just...she felt alone.

"I understand if you're not ready to be helped," Jasper continued, "But when you are, you can come to us. It doesn't hurt to open up, either," he smiled at her, "Okay? We won't judge you."

"Okay," Kit's voice cracked and she rubbed her eyes, "Thank you, Jasper. That means a lot."

Just as he opened his mouth to say something else, he stiffened, jumping to his feet without any warning. In the next half second, he was gone.

" _What do you see_?"

Kit sat there, perplexed at what had just happened, then followed Jasper's urgent voice and rushed into Bella's bedroom. Alice was sitting on the edge of Bella's bed, her eyes blank and staring. Jasper had his hands on her shoulders.

Hesitantly, Kit stepped closer, going to stand next to Bella to catch Alice's low, quick voice.

"I see a room," Alice mumbled, "It's long, and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. He's in the room, and he's waiting. There's gold…a gold stripe across the mirrors."

"Where is the room?" Jasper asked, questioning her expertly.

"I don't know," Alice said. Not once had she blinked, "Something is missing—another decision hasn't been made yet."

"How much time?"

"It's soon. He'll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow," Alice told him, "It all depends. He's waiting for…something. And he's in the dark now."

Jasper's voice was calm, methodical, "What is he doing?"

"He's watching TV…" Alice shook her head, "No, no, he's running a VCR, in the dark, in another place."

"Can you see where he is?"

"No, it's too dark."

"And the mirror room, what else is there?"

"Just the mirrors," Alice assured him, "And the gold. It's a band, around the room. And there's a black table with a big stereo, and a TV. He's touching the VCR there, but he doesn't watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits," her eyes drifted, then focused on Jasper's face.

"There's nothing else?"

She shook her head. They looked at each other, motionless.

"So…" Kit broke the silence, "S-some kind of…studio?"

All heads whipped around to face Kit.

"What did you just-

Jasper's demand was cut off by the shrill sound of the cellphone ringing and Bella's gasp of hope.

Alice was across the room, pushing a button and holding the phone to her ear.

"Carlisle," she breathed, "Yes," she said, glancing at Bella and Kit. She listened for a long moment.

"I just saw him," she described again the vision she'd seen, "Whatever made him get on that plane…it was leading him to those rooms," she paused. "Yes," she said into the phone, and then she spoke to Bella, "Bella?"

Bella rushed over and took the phone eagerly.

"You," Alice marched over to Kit, sitting her down on the bed, "The rooms. What makes you think it's a studio?" her tone was light, not accusatory.

"Um, it was a guess?" Kit said nervously, "And I meant a dance studio. Willa…dances," she trailed off awkwardly, "And then, we were looking at pictures of Julliard online and obviously Willa wants to dance—well, the website had a virtual tour and we were looking at it! T-then you said mirrors and I mean, _what_ kind of room is _just_ mirrors!? That doesn't even-

A cold hand pressed over her mouth, stopping Kit's rambles and she glanced up at Alice, eyes wide. Her shoulders relaxed and her eyes went to Jasper.

"Where does she dance?" Jasper asked, ever calm.

The hand was removed and Kit took a deep breath.

"Seattle," Kit said, "I talked to her right before going over to your house. She was going to break in some new pointe shoes and she's been spending a lot more time there."

"No," Alice shook her head, looking at Jasper, "It has to be something else. The Tracker has no reason to target Willa. She's wouldn't be a part of his game to get Bella. There's no attachment."

"Victoria?" Jasper suggested as if Kit wasn't there.

"Wait, let me…" Alice shook her head, darting out of Bella's bedroom and back to the front room.

Kit followed as quickly as possible and by the time she had reached the couch, Alice was bent over the table, sketching on a piece of hotel stationery.

She drew a room: long, rectangular, with a thinner, square section at the back. The wooden planks that made up the floor stretched lengthwise across the room. Down the walls were lines denoting the breaks in the mirrors. And then, wrapping around the walls, waist high, a long band. The band Alice said was gold.

"It's a ballet studio," Bella was leaning over the back of the couch.

Jasper and Alice looked from Kit to Bella.

"Do _you_ know this room?" Jasper asked, voice calm.

Alice bent her head to her work, her hand flying across the page now, the shape of an emergency exit taking shape against the back wall, the stereo and TV on a low table by the front right corner.

Bella shrugged, "It looks like a place I used to go for dance lessons—when I was eight or nine. It was shaped just the same," she touched the page where the square section jutted out, narrowing the back part of the room, "That's where the bathrooms were—the doors were through the other dance floor. But the stereo was here," she pointed to the left corner, "It was older, and there wasn't a TV. There was a window in the waiting room—you would see the room from this perspective if you looked through it."

Alice and Jasper were staring at her, eyes going back and forth from her and Kit at a rapid speed.

"Are you sure it's the same room?" Jasper asked, still calm.

Bella shook her head, "No, not at all—I suppose most dance studios would look the same—the mirrors, the bar," she traced her finger along the ballet bar set against the mirrors, "It's just the shape that looked familiar," she touched the door.

Kit bit her lip, listening intently to the conversation.

"Would you have any reason to go there now?" Alice asked.

"No, I haven't been there in almost ten years. I was a terrible dancer—they always put me in the back for recitals," Bella admitted.

"So there's no way it could be connected with you?" Alice asked intently.

"No, I don't even think the same person owns it. I'm sure it's just another dance studio, somewhere," Bella shrugged, glancing at Kit.

"Where was the studio you went to?" Jasper asked in a casual voice.

"It was just around the corner from my mom's house. I used to walk there after school…" Bella's voice trailed off when Alice and Jasper exchanged an odd look.

"Here in Phoenix, then?" Jasper's voice was still casual.

"Yes," Bella whispered, "Fifty-eighth Street and Cactus."

They all sat in silence, staring at the drawing.

"Maybe you should call your mom," Kit suggested.

Bella nodded, "Alice, is that phone safe?"

"Yes," she reassured me. "The number would just trace back to Washington, but I thought your mom was in Florida?"

"How would the Tracker know that we're here?" Kit mumbled to Jasper, "We said we were going to Seattle."

"They've been digging," Jasper said, "You didn't get to talk to Emmett, but they were outside Vancouver. The Tracker had gotten suspicious and Edward said James had gotten on a plane—possibly back to Forks, but now he may have gotten on a plane to come here. The female's been in town, she's still digging. But your family is safe."

"Okay," Kit said, hoping Bella's family was all right as well.

"Kit why don't you go lie down?" Alice suggested, glancing at Jasper, "You still look tired. I'll order some more food for you."

"Okay," Kit repeated obediently. She wasn't that tired, but perhaps she would fall asleep just for something to do. Kit was one of those people who fell asleep when they were bored.

She shut the door to her room and raked her hands through her hair, sighing heavily before she began to fix her bed from what had happened earlier. Some spots were still wet.

At least this time when Kit laid down, she had actually bothered to change into her pajamas.

* * *

The sound of a door slamming, caused Kit to shoot out of bed, a loud gasp falling from her lips. Blearily, she couldn't recall ever falling asleep and had no idea what time it was.

She got out of bed, stumbling a little. As she made her way out into the front room, she caught a glimpse of the alarm clock. It was 2:30AM.

Alice and Jasper were on the couch, talking quickly to each other, but they looked up at Kit's approach.

"What's going on?" Kit asked, still groggy.

Alice handed Kit a piece of paper, "Bella's mother's house," she said sullenly.

Kit's eyes widened as she gazed at the drawing.

It was a square room with dark beams across its low ceiling. The walls were paneled in wood, a little too dark, out of date. The floor had a dark carpet with a pattern in it. There was a large window against the south wall, and an opening through the west wall that led to the living room. One side of that entrance was stone—a large tan stone fireplace that was open to both rooms. The focus of the room from this perspective, the TV and VCR, balanced on a too-small wooden stand, were in the southwest corner of the room. An aged sectional sofa curved around in front of the TV, a round coffee table in front of it.

"Oh my gosh…" she breathed, looking up, "Now, what?"

"I haven't seen the female," Alice admitted, "James was back in the VCR room, but it was lighter. You need to call your family, not on your cellphone. Edward is coming, he, Emmett and Carlisle are going to take you both somewhere, to hide you for awhile."

Kit's heart involuntary fluttered at hearing Emmett's name.

"Awhile…" she repeated in a low tone.

"We'll think of something," Jasper assured, "Don't worry about that. They're catching the first flight out of Seattle. We'll meet them at the airport, and you and Bella will leave with them."

Kit nodded, her head feeling heavy, "Um…you haven't seen the female…and I need to call my family?"

"Yes," Jasper said slowly, approaching her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, his accent thick, "But it's going to be all right."

Kit wondered how many times it would take for Alice and Jasper to say that before she actually believed it, but Jasper's Southern twang was _so_ soothing, Kit thought, a deep, heavy fog of lethargy washing over her.

For the second time, thanks to Jasper, Kit's eyes closed without her permission.

.

.

.

.

' _Jasper_ ,' was the first thought Kit had upon waking again, ' _ **Really**_ _needs to stop doing that_.'

She rolled over until her feet touched the floor, feeling around blindly until her hand hit the switch on the bedside table lamp that was bolted down.

She winced at the brightness and when her eyes cleared, she managed a glance at the alarm clock. It was a little after 5:30AM, which meant it was a little after 4:30AM in Forks, WA. She wouldn't be able to call her parents, but there was no harm in sending them a quick text.

A deep frown marred her freckled face when she tried to go to her contact list. Something was wrong. Her phone screen was jumpy and scrambled, colors flashing across the screen. It was like pixel soup.

She got up and padded to the front room, looking up from her phone, "Where's Jasper?"

"He went to checkout," Alice said, approaching Kit, "Why? What's wrong? Hey, I told you not to use your phone!"

"I'm not," Kit gave it to her, unnerved by the look on Alice's face, but it quickly smoothed out, "Something's wrong with it."

"It'll get fixed," Alice promised, "You'll have to use the phone we have. Bella has it. She's in her room."

"Okay, thanks, Alice," Kit turned to go to Bella's room.

"Bella?" she knocked lightly on the closed bedroom door before she opened it a little and peeked it, "Do you have— _ah_!"

She gasped loudly when Bella yanked her forward, closing the bedroom door with her foot.

"Yes, mom," Bella said.

Kit looked up, confused by Bella's actions, but her face fell when she saw how terrified her friend looked. Bella's eyes were wide and dilated with fear. Tears shone in her brown eyes and she was pale—paler than usual.

"Yes, mom," Bella voice shook and she refused to look at Kit, "Mom, trust me. Yes, I'm with Kit, I told you about her, remember?"

Concerned, Kit tried to make her way closer, but stopped when Bella held her hand up. She frowned. She couldn't recall Bella ever mentioning her mom besides most recently and the way Bella had said it…

Kit wanted to say something, but knew how rude it was to speak while someone else was on the phone, so Kit settled for going to sit on the edge of Bella's bed, brown eyes following her every movement.

"No," Bella seemed to be contemplating something, her eyes growing faraway, then narrowing to focus.

"Yes," she suddenly said, confident, clutching the phone tighter, "Yes."

Kit watched Bella's face lose color shade by shade as Bella's mother said something on the other end. More tears filled her eyes.

Kit stood up slowly. Maybe Jasper was back and he could help. Bella looked like she was either about to pass out, have a panic attack, or pass out from a panic attack.

She grabbed Bella by her shoulder, gently pushing her backwards and then applying slight pressure, a silent indicator for her to sit down.

It was when she was lowering Bella down to the bed, that Kit heard the voice. It was a man's voice. A smooth tenor, very pleasant and generic. Definitely not the voice of Bella's mother.

" _It's important_ , _now_ , _that you don't make your friends suspicious when you go back to them_ …"

Kit couldn't make out the rest of the words as the voice spoke very quickly and she struggled to understand the words she had just heard, but when she did, she could feel her own face pale.

"Thank you, Mom," Bella said, tears getting ready to overflow.

Kit dug hard into her lower lip with her teeth, hoping the fear wasn't too evident on her face. She patted Bella's shoulder, feeling a bit conflicted.

"I'm going to go take a shower," she whispered, jabbing a thumb towards the door.

Bella's hand shot out to grab Kit's free hand, squeezing her like a vice. Bella shook her head frantically, but stopped the motion, responding to whatever the man on the other end had said.

"I love you, Mom." her voice was thick, "I'll see you soon," she promised.

As Bella sat there, her eyes wide and the phone still to her ear, Kit tugged on her wrist, but Bella didn't loosen her grip even when she hung up.

"C-can I have the phone?" Kit asked, avoiding her gaze, "I-I need to call my parents."

Robotic, Bella's hand extended towards Kit.

"T-thank you," Kit whispered, taking the phone with her free hand. She pulled on her other hand, stumbling a little when Bella abruptly let her go.

She left Bella's room, her knuckles turning white with how hard she was gripping the cellphone. She briefly wondered if Alice would be mad if her sweat short-circuited the device.

Jasper still wasn't back when she somehow made her way to the front room, but Alice was looking at her expectantly, her dark eyes going to the cellphone, then back to her face.

"Are you going to call your parents?" Alice asked.

Kit managed a slow shake of her head, stopping when she was only mere inches from Alice. The sweet scent of the vampire somewhat soothed her and she stepped even closer.

She had no idea if Bella knew that she knew the Tracker had possibly called and apparently Alice didn't either. Kit wanted to tell, but she was having doubts, unsure what Bella's plan was or if she even had a plan. What if Kit was completely wrong? Her mind went back to the day when she had threatened to tell if Edward didn't bring Bella back that one day.

"I-it's important, now, that you don't make your friends suspicious when you go back to them…" Kit choked out in a lifeless whisper, "B-Bell-

Alice gasped loudly, then, cutting Kit off. She stiffened, her eyes going wide as she lurched forward, gripping Kit in a strong grip as if she needed to support herself.

The phone fell from Kit's hand and she instinctively placed both of them on Alice's shoulders to keep from falling over. Alice's hands squeezed a bit too hard, but she said nothing to stop the pixie-like vampire.

"A-Alice?" she questioned.

"Bella!" was Alice's reply, her voice haunted, her face bone white, "No!"

"Alice!" Jasper's voice came from afar, then he was beside his wife, his hands going over the ones that still clutched Kit.

"Darlin' let go," he pried them from Kit's shoulders and turned Alice so that she rested against his chest.

"What is it?" he mumbled to her, stroking her back, "What do you see?"

"Bella," Alice said again.

"I'm right here," Bella said, having come out of her room.

Alice slowly turned her head, her empty eyes focused on Bella. Her head began to rock slowly from side to side against Jasper's chest as she waited to come out of her vision.

Jasper's eyes were sharp and confused as they flickered swiftly between Alice's face, Bella's and Kit's, no doubt feeling the chaos between all their emotions.

A tranquil atmosphere settled around the room and Kit welcomed it, taking a deep and shuddering breath. This didn't go unnoticed by Jasper.

"What did you see?" Bella asked Alice, her voice flat.

"Nothing, really," Alice blinked a few times, recovering from her vision, "Just the same room as before. Did you two want breakfast?"

"No, thank you," Kit said, eyes trained intently on the floor.

"I'll eat at the airport," Bella mumbled, "Are we leaving soon?"

"Yes," Alice nodded.

"Okay," Bella said with a sigh. She turned to go back to her room, "I'm going to go shower, then. Kit, did you call your parents?"

Kit's head snapped up and she was sure she looked ridiculous with the shock on her face. Her eyes locked on Bella's devastated and dull brown eyes.

"Not yet," she said, "Soon, though. I-I'm sure they're...worried."

Bella nodded numbly, sighed again, then went to her room, the door shutting behind her.

As soon as Bella was out of sight, Alice looked up at Jasper, pecking him on the lips.

"Kit needs her cellphone fixed," she took it out of her pocket. Her eyes softened and she looked at Kit, "Hey, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, no," Kit shook her head, "Y-you didn't."

"Good!" Alice's eyes narrowed and she pointed to a spot on the floor, "Get over here!"

"Alice," Jasper scolded, surprised.

"Shhh," Alice held a hand up and lowered her voice when Kit got close enough, "What did you say?"

Kit pursed her lips, "When?"

"Before my vision," Alice clarified, "Whatever you said, it's what triggered it. It's important, now, that you don't make your friends suspicious when you go back to them…" she repeated.

Jasper stiffened.

"I _saw_ ," Alice said darkly, "And if you know something, you need to _tell_ me. It could save Bella's _life_. Yours too. Do you _want_ Bella to die?"

Calmness wrapped around Kit like a security blanket and she unconsciously stepped closer to Jasper, shaking like a leaf.

"I-I think he called," Kit told her, picking at her jagged fingernails and tapping her foot, "Pretending to be her mom…or he has her mom, I don't know. I only heard that one thing."

"But he called?" Jasper prompted coldly, "He called Bella?"

Kit lowered her gaze, "Yes."

Cold fingers grasped her chin and her head was lifted until she was face-to-face with Alice.

"Look at me," Alice mumbled.

Kit did as she was told, biting her lip.

"Were you going to escape with her?" Alice demanded, "With Bella?"

Kit's eyes widened slightly. That had never crossed her mind and Bella had never brought it up. Was Bella planning to escape? If so and she had asked Kit, she might have gone. Possibly. She was unsure how she could tell one of her best friend's that she would have to die alone. That was a terrible way to go.

"I…wasn't planning on it?" Kit finally said, unsure and honest, "It was never brought up. B-Bella didn't say anything."

Alice pursed her lips together, a flicker of irritation and disappointment flashing through her eyes.

"Er…did you want me to go?" Kit asked awkwardly.

"No," Alice released Kit's chin, "That's a monstrous thing to say. I would be completely devastated if anything happened to your or Bella. I was thinking of something else."

"We'll be leaving soon," Jasper said, nodding towards Kit's room, "Go get ready."

He watched Kit hurry out of the room, then turned to Alice, "What's wrong?"

"I was hoping…" Alice frowned, "That perhaps that was the reason I couldn't see Kit's future—the big decision that Kit hasn't made."

"It wasn't?" Jasper asked.

Alice nodded, sadly, "It wasn't," she whispered.


	21. I Know That We'll Be Safe And Sound

"Oh, Bella!"

Kit emerged from her bedroom, bags all packed just in time to see Alice practically tackle Bella, pulling her into a fierce and tight hug.

Meanwhile, Bella looked completely bewildered, unsure of what to do, her arms hung loosely.

"Um…" Bella mumbled.

"I just love you a lot," Alice said, "You're my best friend."

"You're my best friend too," Bella promised. She still looked uncomfortably, "Er, I-I finished my letter. Will you-

"There's been a change of plans," Jasper interrupted, causing Bella to look up, "Edward is going to take you and Kit somewhere. And the rest of us are going to go to the dance studio and ambush James there," he turned to Kit, "Rosalie will stay to ensure the safety of your family and Esme yours, Bella," he turned to address her again, "Understood?"

Bella, seeming to have registered Jasper's words, panicked and tore herself out of Alice's arms.

"What?" she cried, "No, you can't!"

"Shhh, Bella," Alice hushed, touching her face, "It's going to be all right. With all of us there, we'll take care of him easily. The female too if she's with him. We'll save your mom—and she'll be safe, I can promise you that."

Bella gnawed on her lip, tears welling up in her eyes, "Y-you saw," she accused.

Alice nodded, her facial expression giving away nothing, "I did."

Tears spilled over onto Bella's cheeks which Alice quickly wiped away.

"B-but my…mom," Bella protested weakly.

Deciding to be somewhat useful, Kit silently went to Bella's room to get her bags. She looped them all through her arms and grabbed the sealed envelope that was on the dresser, taking her time in order to give the three some privacy.

"Are you ready to go, Kit?" Alice asked as soon as she had reappeared.

Kit nodded and Bella sniffled loudly, going forward to get her bags from Kit's hands.

"T-thank you," she stuttered, "Oh, my letter. I guess I won't be needing it, now."

"Are you ready to go, Kit?" this time, it was Jasper who asked.

"Yes," Kit nodded, "I'm ready."

Bags in tow, the four left the hotel, Alice and Jasper standing too close, their dark eyes darting to Bella every two seconds as if waiting for her to escape. They made it to the car without incident and Kit climbed into the passenger seat, Bella sat in the back with Alice. She was crying again, scared for her mother's life.

It didn't take long to drive to the airport, Alice having tactically picked a hotel near one just in case.

"They'll be landing at terminal four," Jasper said, "Ah, Kit, I've fixed your phone," he handed it to her, "There won't be any more problems. You can call your family once we're settled."

"Thank you," Kit said sincerely, unbuckling her seat belt. She didn't ask what had happened to it, "I really appreciate it."

Jasper gave a curt nod, waiting for Alice to help Bella out of the car. They were leaving the bags behind, knowing both Edward and Emmett had gotten the ones the girls had left in their vehicles.

"Lead the way, Bella," Alice said, "We have to follow you."

Bella shuffled along. They had parked on the fourth floor of the huge garage.

"Are you okay, Kit?" Alice asked, oddly close.

"I'm fine," Kit replied, confused to why Alice was asking, "Thanks, Alice."

"Of course," Alice smiled, touching her arm, "You're family."

Bella led them to an elevator, which they took down to level three where the passengers unloaded.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Kit looped her arm with Bella's as she walked beside her, "I know this is really scary. I know you've been told a thousand times that it's going to be okay, but it will be."

Bella shrugged and nodded at the same time, sniffling.

Kit bit her lip, deciding to take a different approach, "Do you guys get along? You and your mom?"

"Yeah," Bella mused, a sad smile twitching her lips, "We're each others best friends, though I haven't talked to her much since coming to Forks," her lips quivered, but she continued, "She was more like the child and I was the mother," she chuckled, a sad sound, "But we got along. She can be really…scatterbrained, sometimes and I always had to remind her of stuff. I-I love her very much."

"It sounds like it," Kit said. They took a seat in the long rows of chairs by the metal detectors, "She loves you too."

"Yeah…" Bella drawled, looking up when Alice and Jasper moved.

"Stay. Here," Alice said firmly, her and Jasper going off to look at the departing flights board.

Kit could hear them discussing the pros and cons of New York, Atlanta, and Chicago. Is that where they would be going?

She exhaled softly and pulled out her phone, exiting text messages so that she could open a new one. She wanted to call her parents, but didn't want to be inconsiderate or rude considering Bella's situation.

' _Hi_ ,' she typed, ' _Sorry I haven't been in contact_. _We've all been really busy_. _It's a lot of fun and I miss you all_. _I love you and I'll see you soon_. _Be safe_. _Xoxo_.'

She sent the text message and fiddled with her phone. Inside her mind, she debated with herself on whether or not to look through her emails and text messages. It wasn't a good idea, she knew that and they always said the same things, but there was always apart of her that wanted to look—to know what the four girls thought about her.

In the end, she pocketed her cell phone, leaning her head on Bella's shoulder who scooted closer to Kit, sighing heavily. Bella started bouncing her leg and Kit could feel the vibrations.

"You'll get to see Emmett for a bit," Bella started.

Kit's heart warmed and she couldn't help but smile, "Yes, I will and you'll get to be with Edward."

"I miss him more than anything," Bella admitted, "Kit?" she suddenly asked.

"Mhm?" Kit hummed.

"I'm really sorry…" Bella flushed dark red, "About that one day. You know, when you drove me home."

"That's okay," Kit forgave her easily, "I'm sorry too."

"You don't need to apologize," Bella mumbled, "I know—I was angry, but I guess I understand. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Thanks, Bella," another smile twitched Kit's lips.

Eventually Alice and Jasper sat down and joined them, pretending to people-watch, but really watching Kit and Bella.

' _Please let Bella's mom be okay_ ,' Kit thought, ' _I bet she's a good person and Bella loves her a lot_. _Please let her be okay_ , _they need each other_.'

"Would you two like something to eat?" Alice asked, grabbing their attention.

Kit lifted her head, her eyes darting around the crowded airport and she wondered how packed it would be near the food court.

 _"How can she walk?" Lauren mumbled, just loud enough for Kit to hear, "She weighs a ton."_

 _Jessica laughed, "Every time she walks there's an earthquake happening somewhere else."_

' _When did I eat last_?' Kit thought, biting her lip, ' _Stupid blood sugar_ …' she grumbled inside her head, ' _Prone to hypoglycemia_ … _ugh_.'

"Sure," she finally said, "Let's get breakfast."

"Are you coming, Bella?" Alice asked, taking Kit's hand and pulling her to her feet, "You should eat something too."

"I guess," Bella mumbled, standing. It would pass the time until she got to see Edward.

Alice smiled, clearly satisfied, but her smile faltered when she saw Bella hesitate, "What is it?"

"Do you mind if Jasper comes instead?" Bella asked, twiddling her thumbs. She looked back at the blonde when he stood up, "I-I'm feeling a little…"

"Sure," Alice let go of Kit's hand, narrowing her eyes, "Don't try anything funny! I'll be watching," her eyes scrutinized Kit for a brief second, then she went to take a seat, still eyeing them.

Jasper's hand held Bella's wrist, his other hand on the small of Kit's back, walking silently beside the two.

"What kind of food did you want?" Jasper asked as they approached the first few airport cafes.

"I guess this is fine," Bella gestured to some kind of French bakery and Jasper led them over.

"Order," he said curtly.

"Hello," a perky blonde smiled warmly, "What can I get for you?"

* * *

Emmett tensed in anxiousness when the tires of the plane hit the runway. He had spent the entire flight fidgeting, sighing, and grumbling under his breath with his anticipation to see Kit. He had very high doubts that being stuck on this piece of metal machinery was faster than running.

"It is," Edward mumbled, looking just as anxious.

Emmett rolled his eyes, finally allowed to power on the phone he had. He hadn't been able to talk to Kit once and that only served to make him more nervous. He hoped that she was all right. He had no doubt that Jasper and Alice had kept his mate out of danger, but he had seen how troubled Kit looked when she was forced to take her cellphone.

Much to his displeasure, it was Edward who was going to travel with Kit and Bella—take them far away until Bella's mother was rescued and he wished he could tag along, but knew he was needed. Most likely, he would be the one to rip James apart…and he would enjoy it. Hopefully, the female would be there too. That would be more fun and he would relish in harming anyone who threatened his mate's safety…with Kit's permission, of course. She was just as sensitive as Carlisle when it came to harming others.

As passengers gathered their belongings, Emmett with his brother and father in tow and carry-ons in hand, they walked quickly to the door that would lead them to the gate where hopefully Kit was waiting. Oh, and the others. Yeah, them too.

People stared, of course. Not only were they abnormally beautiful, but Emmett was sure they looked odd with their long pants and long-sleeves. Carlisle even sported a dark turtleneck, as their skin needed to be as covered as possible.

Edward, and Emmett in particular, were carrying girl's luggage bags, Emmett's spotted with leopard print. It had been in the back of his Jeep. Yes, they were all quite a sight.

Hot air hit Emmett from all sides as he stepped into the airport and he looked around the crowd of people, eyes narrowed.

"They're over here," Edward walked off, faster than he should have.

"Careful, Edward," Carlisle reprimanded.

Emmett could see Kit easily. She sat next to Bella in a long row of chairs, her head resting on Bella's shoulder. Her eyes were closed and he automatically began to worry. Had Kit not been sleeping? Was she sick?

"Edward!" Bella cried, tears welling up.

Kit shot up, startled and her eyes went to the side before landing on him, widening drastically. She got up and ran forward.

He grinned, meeting her halfway before she jumped into his arms.

"Emmett!" she cried softly.

' _She's thinner_ ,' was the first thought that went through Emmett's mind when he picked her up, spinning her in a circle before he set her on her feet.

"Hey, baby," he greeted, easily, kissing the top of her head, "Miss me?"

"Yes, o-of course, h-hi," Kit said shakily, eyes scanning as if she could find an injury, "Hey, hello. You're okay!"

"'Course," Emmett grinned, "What? You thought I'd be taken out that easily?" he smiled when she tilted her face up, "I'm offended."

"I'm _so_ sorry," Kit quipped sarcastically, "I don't know _what_ I was thinking," she paused and bit her lip, "I was worried. I missed you."

"I missed you too," he pressed a light kiss to her lips, chuckling when she blushed.

' _She's pale too_ ,' he thought, tracing one of the bags under her eyes with his thumb.

"I'm fine," Kit said, having seen the look on his face. She caught his hand, lowering it from her face, "Just tired."

Emmett nodded absently. How long had he been gone? Only two days. It wasn't possible to lose weight in that short of a time, was it? Perhaps he had only noticed because of his enhanced senses. It was easier to pick up on stuff like that.

"Emmett," Alice called for his attention.

Emmett released Kit from his arms and he wrapped one around her waist, leading her to join the small group.

"We're all taking the car," Alice gestured to herself, Jasper, Carlisle and Emmett, "Rose and Esme are still in Forks. Edward, you're taking Bella and Kit."

Bella whimpered.

"Everything is going to be okay, Bella," Carlisle assured her with a soft smile, "Your mother will be safe."

"Okay," Bella whispered, glancing up at Edward.

"Let's go, then," Alice chirped.

Emmett sighed, looking down at Kit, then at Edward.

' _Keep an eye on my girl_ , _for me_ , _kid_ ,' he demanded in a threatening tone, ' _She might be getting sick_.'

"I'll make sure she's safe," Edward said, in a voice only he could hear.

Emmett eyed his brother warily for a long moment, but Edward didn't acknowledge it.

"Kit?" Emmett moved her a few feet away, "I have to go."

Kit blinked at him, "Okay. Are Rosalie and Esme all right?"

"Yes, they're doing well," Emmett said, "Neither have been harmed," he paused, looking her over again, "Are you _sure_ you're all right? You look pale and your blood smells a little off," he kept his voice light, not wanting to come off too intense or be overheard.

"I'm fine," Kit mumbled, looking away from him, "Just worried."

He brought one of his hands up, cupping Kit's cheek, "You sure?" he asked quietly.

Kit stared at Emmett for a long time. So long, that it began to unnerve him and he almost called over Carlisle, when finally, she blinked.

"…I'm fine," she said, eyebrows drawing together.

"I love you," he reminded her gently, smoothing his thumb over her cheekbone.

The faintest of smiles twitched Kit's pink lips and her green eyes lit up. She let out a long rush of air, the heat of it drifting over his skin. It was time to part ways. Hopefully, for the last time.

"I love you too," she declared, leaning into his touch, "Very much, Emmett."

He bent down and lightly brushed his lips against hers, pressing a firmer kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"One more," Kit mumbled, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him fully on the lips.

"Break it up, lovebirds," Alice called over to them, "We have a job to do."

Sighing heavily, Emmett gave Kit her bag and pushed her gently over towards Edward and Bella. He went to join the rest of his family.

' _Make sure she's safe_ ,' he warned to Edward, one last time.

"Let's go," Alice said, already leading the way hand-in-hand with Jasper.

They walked faster than they should have, slowing down when Carlisle gave them another quiet warning, but no one paid them any mind, rushing to catch flights or waiting for their own loved ones to leave or show up.

"We'll get him from all sides," Jasper said, getting into the back of the car with Alice.

"Jazz and I will take care of him," Emmett said, delighted at that, "It shouldn't take long."

Carlise's brow puckered, his black medical bag at his feet, "We can only hope that Bella's mother hasn't been injured. Alice, are you able to see her?"

"It's hard," Alice closed her eyes, "I've never met her and trying to see James, I get the same vision," she opened her eyes, her gaze following the passing scenery, "We'll be passing Bella's house in a few seconds."

"Emmett and I will take the front entrance," Jasper said. He kissed Alice's temple, "You and Carlisle will go in through the back exit. Emmett? Emmett!"

"What?" Emmett looked at his brother, irritated, "Yeah, I heard you. Front entrance, got it," he rolled his eyes dramatically.

Jasper rolled his own eyes in response, "She didn't tell you because she doesn't want you to worry," he admitted, having felt Kit's emotions, "She knows where you're going—what we're hoping to accomplish and she knows that you cannot afford to be distracted."

Emmett took a moment to think through Jasper's words.

"But if this wasn't happening…?" he trailed off.

"Then I'm sure she would've talked to you," Jasper smiled easily, "Just be patient."

"Patient," Emmett snorted, "Right."

After driving for a few blocks, they reached the studio, but parked away from it. It was a small building, bubblegum pink in color with a sign that was written in loopy back cursive. They would run there and surprise the Tracker—catch him off guard.

Covered from head to toe to prevent the sunlight from hitting their skin, they all exited the car, Emmett stretching dramatically as if he needed to. The sooner they got this done and rescued Bella's mother, the sooner he could go back to Kit.

' _I'm so whipped_ ,' he thought, glad that Edward wasn't around. He sighed, all too eager, to rip the vampire apart; and God he hoped that the female was with him, ' _Let's do this_.'

* * *

Atlanta.

Kit couldn't believe it.

After Emmett had left, she had shuffled awkwardly after Edward and Bella, her eyes sweeping the large airport as if she expected James or Victoria to jump out at her. She played with the straps of her bag, biting her lip.

"Where are we going?" Bella had asked, gazing up at Edward.

"Somewhere safe," Edward had replied, sounding a little angry and upset, "Don't worry, you'll like it."

"Okay," Bella said automatically.

Kit had ended up following the couple to another gate, up to a desk, where Edward proceeded to hand over three tickets. No passports.

When the flight attendant gestured for them to go on, Edward had jerked his head for her to follow, giving her a wry smile,"Come on."

Kit had never been on a first class flight before and it was nice, surprisingly it was not too full. She sat in the aisle seat by herself and Edward technically next to her in the row across from hers, obscuring Bella from view.

From Edward's mumbling to Bella and the stewardess coming over the intercom, Kit had found out that their flight would be almost four hours—a nonstop flight to Atlana, Georgia.

She had slept through most of it, the rest of the time spent going through her carry-on bag and reading her book while she listened to her CD player, eventually tuning out the book as she pictured herself playing.

Edward had woken her up, and somewhere between him getting her off the plane and getting in some kind of car, Kit had either spaced out or fallen asleep. Probably the second one—she had been doing that a lot lately.

Now, here she was in one of the most lavish hotels that she had ever seen. It was…huge. That was the only word she could currently come up with. The living room was ivory carpeted, two gold arm chairs positioned across from each other and separated by a dark brown coffee table, a plush light brown couch directly behind it. Above the couch, there was a large painting. There was even a fireplace.

Kit went forward to the coffee table, touching the flowers that sat in a vase with her fingertips. They were real and incredibly beautiful.

"Is this to your liking?"

Kit turned her head, having not expected to hear Edward's voice. Then, she noticed he had been addressing Bella, not her and felt a little foolish.

"This is expensive isn't it?" Bella asked, eyes wide as they roamed around the room, "It's a waste…"

"It's not," Edward promised, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The motion caused Bella to look up at Edward, looking ready to burst into tears.

Feeling a bit like she was intruding on the moment, Kit left the room as quietly as she could, easily finding her bedroom. She shut the door with a soft click.

The bedroom was just as lovely. Soft carpeting, a large bed with a gold pillowed headboard. There was a large desk with a flatscreen television and flowers on the bedside table.

' _I feel bad_ ,' she thought, recalling Bella's words about the expenses, ' _They shouldn't be spending all of this money_.'

She abandoned her bag on the bed and wandered into the bathroom, her mouth dropping open when she flicked on the light.

It was a full marble bathroom, the mirrors lit up by two small chandeliers and this was just the powder room, though she could see the large bathtub from where she was standing.

"Wow..." she breathed, "This is incredible."

Deciding that a bath or a shower might be nice, Kit left the bathroom lights on and went to her bag, feeling slightly comforted that she had her own clothes back.

She picked out a pair of pajamas, grabbed her toiletries, remembered to switch on her phone and went back to the bathroom, sliding the door closed.

It looked small from the outside, but the shower was large and glass-enclosed, the room filling with steam as soon as Kit turned the handle.

They had left the hotel in Phoenix early in the morning and now it was mid-afternoon, almost dinner time. Kit's sleeping schedule was completely messed up and if she wanted to get it back on track, she'd have to sleep again. Which probably wouldn't be too hard.

She turned around in the shower, washing out the deep conditioner she had applied five minutes prior. After that, she shaved and finished washing up, reluctantly turning off the shower to towel off and dry her hair.

It was when she was dressed in her pajamas, a towel around her shoulders and her toiletries gathered in her arms, that she returned to her room and saw the tray of food waiting for her.

"Thank you," she said, hoping that Edward could hear her. She put her things away and removed the towel before she lifted the silver dome.

It was a thin crust margherita pizza with basil pesto, mozzarella and tomatoes, a small spinach salad on the side and a glass of sweet tea.

Kit dug in, feeling extremely hungry. It was much easier to eat by herself and (this was) the most she had eaten since leaving Forks. It all tasted wonderful.

When she had finished everything and had sucked up the last of her tea, there was a knock at her door. Hurriedly, Kit replaced the lid on the tray and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Come in," she said politely.

She had expected it to be Bella, but was shocked to see Edward, another glass of sweet tea in his hands.

"Here," he handed it to her.

"Thank you," she took it and smiled at him shyly, "I appreciate it," she looked around her room, "All of this."

"It's not a problem," he assured her, moving the empty tray off her bed and to the desk, "Emmett informed me that you might be getting sick?"

Kit blinked, owlishly, looking off to the side as she tried to recall Emmett speaking to Edward. She looked back at the vampire, confused, "He did? When?"

Edward chuckled, "Ah, my mistake," he tapped his head, "He was merely concerned when he saw you in the airport. I will admit, you were looking quite pale. Are you feeling all right?"

"Oh, yes," Kit nodded, "Er…I—low blood sugar, but I'm much better, now. Really."

Edward tilted his head to the side, "You didn't eat back in Phoenix?"

"I did," Kit murmured, picking at an imaginary thread on the comforter, "A little bit."

"That's probably why your blood sugar was so low," Edward supplied, but Kit already knew that. He looked over at the closed curtains, changing the subject, "I'll leave you be. We'll be staying here until Bella's mother is safe."

Kit nodded. She had figured as much, "Okay. Will you let me know if…she's okay?"

Edward turned to face her, already standing at the door. He smiled at her, "Of course."

With that said, he left Kit alone, the door shutting behind him.

Kit exhaled, placing the full glass on the bedside table and digging through her bag until she found her cellphone. She flopped backwards and hesitated before pressing the talk button. She was unsure if she would be able to keep it together, but what if the female was with James in Phoenix? Didn't that mean her family was safe?

Taking her chances, Kit pressed the button and held the phone to her ear.

" _Hello_?"

"Daddy!" Kit smiled, despite the sadness, "Hey, it's me."

" _Hey_ , _Me_ ," Blake sounded happy, " _How's the spa_?"

"Great," Kit told him, "Really fun, relaxing. I miss you, though."

" _Aww_ , _I miss you too_ , _honey_ ," Blake said, " _We all do_."

"Is Indi enjoying her break?" Kit asked.

" _Yes_ ," Blake said, chipper, " _She is_. _We're still trying to help her find a hobby or something and she seems to be enjoying that_. _She's excited_. _She hung out with Melody the other day_."

"That's good. And you're okay?" Kit asked, worry leaking into her voice, "You're all being safe?"

" _Yes_ , _yes_ ," Kit could picture Blake waving a hand, " _Everyone's fine_. _we'll see you soon_ , _yes_?"

' _I hope so_ ,' she thought.

"Yes," she answered, "Soon."

" _Great_ , _I love you_ , _Kit Kat_."

"I love you too, daddy," Kit prepared to hang up the phone, "Bye."

" _Bye_."

Hanging up, Kit placed the phone somewhere on her bed and covered her face with her hands. She stayed like that for a few moments, then sighed, getting up to take out her CD player and put her headphones over her ears, crawling under the covers and closing her eyes. She wasn't going to sleep, yet, but she hoped that by turning up the beautiful sounds of the violin, she wouldn't have to focus on anything else.

However, it was only moments into the first song that Kit remembered her friend back in Forks and she felt around her bed until her fingers found her phone again, needing to send a quick text—wait, Willa didn't have a cellphone.

Kit called instead and left a voicemail when no one answered.

* * *

Back in Phoenix, Alice sat in Jasper's lap, the car silent except for their breathing. She closed her eyes, wrapped in a blanket of safety, care, love, and calm that Jasper projected as he ran his fingers through her short hair, simultaneously massaging her scalp.

Her scalp that should have been stained and splotched with scars from the shock treatments.

They had arrived at the studio only to be met with a TV screen—Bella's home videos. It was a hoax. No one had been taken, everyone was safe. Well, except for the Tracker, that is. The female had managed to escape, but they would begin the hunt for her, soon.

James was furious, unable to believe he had been tricked by a couple human girls, but when his black eyes fell on Alice, he had grinned sadistically, taunting her.

He had known her, apparently. While she was human, in fact. James has been after her, and another vampire who had worked in the asylum sacrificed his life after biting Alice…in order to distract James and save her.

Much to Emmett's disappointment that he gracefully didn't show in light of Alice's situation, it had been Jasper who ripped James apart, piece by piece. Jasper had played with him until Carlisle put a stop to it—Emmett twisted off the head and they all built the fire, pouring gasoline and burning the studio to the ground before escaping back to their car.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Carlisle glanced at Alice in the rear view mirror.

"I don't know," Alice mumbled, snuggling closer to Jasper, "H-he knew me."

"He did," Jasper confirmed, moving to rub his hand up and down her arm.

"I hate to admit it, but it makes sense," Alice said, mostly to herself, "T-the asylum…" she shuddered, "I was always in the dark…but I don't remember…anything."

"At least now you have lead," Emmett piped up, optimistic as always, "Do some digging, find out who you were."

"I plan on it," Alice said, determined. She sighed, "Call Edward. Let him know we got James and that Bella's mother is safe."

"On it," Emmett pulled out his cellphone, pressing one of the buttons on speed dial.

"Hello?" he said, "Hey, kid…Yeah, we got him….Bella's mom is perfectly fine, still in Florida, actually….He tricked us all, but the female got away, we'll have to start looking for her…Yeah, okay….No, I'm coming to get her," Emmett rolled his eyes, "Yeah….Bye."

Carlisle turned on his blinker, to head back towards the airport.

"She'll be happy to see you," Alice interjected, "It will be a nice surprise. She could use some cheering up."

"Oh?" Emmett asked, turning to look at her.

"You sound like her," Alice teased before turning serious, "She's not eating much, almost fainted in the shower. Low blood sugar, you know the spiel."

Emmett nodded, recalling Kit informing him that she wanted to lose some weight. How far would she go to accomplish that?

"Is she starving herself?" Carlisle asked the question Emmett had been afraid to even think.

Emmett looked at his father and he could see the gears turning in his head. He was in 'Doctor Mode'.

"No…" Alice drawled, narrowing her eyes in thought, "She had eaten in her room. I ordered her a sandwich."

"Did she make herself ill afterwards?" Carlisle asked, placing a hand on Emmett's arm when he tensed, gripping the dashboard, "Careful, Emmett."

"No," Alice remained casual, "She's fine eating by herself."

"Ahhh," Carlisle said this knowingly, "Yes, I see."

"See?" Emmett frowned, "See what!?" he demanded.

But Carlisle shook his head, keeping the thoughts to himself, "Oh, son," he patted his arm, "Kit and I definitely need to talk."


	22. Step One, You Say We Need To Talk

Kit went over to the silky white curtains that covered the window in the hotel bedroom and took a peek, only for a second before she took large steps back, her three inch nude Mary Jane heels silent against the carpet.

The sun was out, shining on the city where the buildings scraped the sky. For the split second she had looked, Kit could see the Atlanta skyline.

She had woken up to the sound of Prokofiev violin concertos blaring through her headphones, at first, disoriented and removing them quickly. There had been a tray of breakfast waiting for her: an egg white frittata, hashbrowns and some kind of berry juice blend.

Remembering that school would be starting up again, Kit had skipped the fried hashbrowns, but finished the rest, then showered and brushed her teeth, preparing for another day of waiting.

She was sitting on the bed, dressed in a cotton ankle-length collared peach dress with cuffed sleeves, brushing her hair when she was startled.

"It's nice, huh?"

Kit almost jumped off the bed and was saved by two strong arms wrapping around her and setting her upright on her feet. She blinked, suddenly looking up into Emmett's bright gold eyes, his teeth just as bright as he flashed a wide grin.

"What?" Emmett teased, cocking his head to the side, "Not happy to see me, baby? I thought I'd at least get a smile."

Kit threw her arms around him, giggling when Emmett picked her up, burrowing his face in her short hair. She rewraped her arms around his neck, pulling back to look at him. Cheeks pink, she pecked him on the lips.

"I'm very happy to see you," she said, steadying herself when she was set back on her feet, "Surprised, but happy. I missed you," she stopped, eyes widening, "Wait, what happened!? Where's Bella's mom?"

Emmett soothed her, "Safe, everyone is safe. We got James, he's been taken care of. It was all a lie and a trick. Bella's mother is still in Florida."

Relief washed through Kit and she closed her eyes for a moment.

"That's wonderful," she said sincerely, eyes opening, "And the female? Victoria?"

Emmett's face fell, "…She escaped, but we're going to look for her and take care of her too. I promise, you and your family will be okay. I'll make sure of it."

Kit was still tense, but she nodded, running her fingers over the smooth skin on Emmett's cheek. She enjoyed being with him. She would admit, it was comforting and she couldn't help but feel secure.

"What are you thinking about?" Emmett asked, trailing a finger down her cheek.

"You," Kit answered, "I like...being with you."

"Great," Emmett laughed, shaking Kit's smaller frame, "How awkward would it be if my m—girlfriend hated being with me? We'd have some explaining to do."

Kit looked up at him again, surprised, "G-girlfriend?" she stuttered.

Emmett's eyes widened, "I'm sorry," he said, "I-I didn't mean—oh-

"No, no," Kit cut him off with a shake of her head, "That's fine! I didn't know if you were comfortable—mates and stuff…" she trailed off, face flushing.

"I'm comfortable," Emmett assured her, "Are you?"

"Yes," Kit said, relieved, "Very much so. Everything is great."

Emmett smiled widely, "Great," he echoed, eyes sweeping her face, "I like being with you too. Are you feeling okay?"

Kit looked away from him, recalling the conversation with Edward, "Yes. I-it was low blood sugar, but I'm fine now."

"Right," Emmett murmured, not entirely convinced.

She narrowed her eyes, still not looking at him, "I ate breakfast…"

"Uh-huh…" he pushed, following Kit's gaze to the covered tray on the bedside table. His eyes went back to her face, "What is it, Kit? Talk to me, please."

Hearing the pain in Emmett's voice, Kit closed her eyes when shame flooded her body. The feeling was a reminder of _why_ she didn't open up, but maybe doing just that would make it go away.

' _I'm not alone_ ,' she reminded herself, ' _He won't think any different of me_. _At least_ , _I hope he won't_.'

"I…don't like eating in front of people," she shifted her weight, eyebrows knitting, "I can't, not anymore. So, I-I haven't been…I-I guess."

' _And I'm as big as a whale_ ,' she added in her head.

With his thumbs, Emmett massaged the tension out of Kit's shoulders, "Yeah?" he murmured softly.

"Mhm," Kit hummed, reminding herself that she needed to breathe.

"Is there anything I can do?" Emmett asked carefully.

Kit shook her head, still not looking at him, "I don't know," she whispered. She inhaled deeply and covered her face with her hands, bringing them up to rake through her hair.

' _I'm such a depressing person_ , _now_ ,' she thought, ' _I don't know how anyone stands to be around me_.'

"It's fine, though," she tried to backpedal, forcing an even tone, "Everything is just…peachy."

She snuck a peek up at Emmett and saw him looking at her with a strange look on his face.

"What?" she asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

He shook his head, his face smoothing out, "Nothing. I'm sorry that you had to be trapped inside all week with nothing but your phone. You're under enough strain and you didn't need all this extra pressure. I'm sorry that this happened, Kit."

"That's okay," Kit told him, "It's not your fault and it's over now, so…" she shrugged, trailing off.

Emmett nodded slowly and gestured to the bed, "Come lay down with me?"

"Mhm," Kit agreed, going under the covers while Emmett laid on top of them.

Emmett placed one of his arms arms under the pillows so that Kit could scoot closer to him and he kissed her forehead.

"I'm worried about you," he admitted, "Would you—would you be open to speaking with Carlisle?"

Kit's eyes widened and she tried to sit up, but Emmett's arm around her kept her from doing so.

"About what?" she asked, fearing the answer.

Emmett touched her face. Her face that should have been a very warm ivory color instead of the pale shade that it was.

"Everything," he said. A little defensiveness leaked into his voice, "I didn't know what to do. I had to talk to _someone_ about this and Carlisle's a doctor," he tried to assure her, "He can help! He wants to help."

 _Help_.

Kit tried to sit up again and this time, Emmett moved his arm from around her, copying her motion.

"Help with what?" Kit frowned, "I'm not…I'm not..." she trailed off again. What exactly had Emmett told Carlisle? Had Carlisle been in contact with her parents? The principal?

Emmett was surprised at Kit's reaction and he nodded, placing his hand on her thigh.

"Hey, it's okay," he said softly, "You've been really stressed and Carlisle just wants to make sure you're not getting sick. Especially after the low blood sugar incident. That's all."

"Oh," Kit bit her lip and her shoulders slumped. She felt extremely foolish, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Emmett promised, he laid back down and pulled Kit down to join him, "Will you do it? Talk to him?"

"I don't know if I can," Kit said. She exhaled that overwhelming exhausting sound. She closed her eyes, shook her head, and burrowed her face in her hands, "No, no, I can't…"

"Kit-

"Emmett, it's the _same thing_ every time!" she interrupted, "I'm tired of it! I don't want this consuming my life-

"It already is!" Emmett said hotly, "It's at school, on your phone, on your computer," he ticked off on his fingers, "Kit, you're in a whole other state—over one thousand miles and it still followed you!"

Kit only stared at him, unsure of what to say.

"This is being blown out of proportion," she muttered, looking down at her lap.

"Do you honestly not see how terribly this is affecting you?" Emmett made his voice soft, "Because it's breaking my heart-

"Please, don't," Kit begged, shaking her head, "Em, I _can't_."

"You don't even have to say anything," Emmett continued, "Carlisle isn't going to yell at you. You just have to listen and let him check you out. It's really not as torturous as it sounds."

' _Breathe_ , _Kit_ ,' she thought, trying to quell her shaking hands, ' _Don't panic_!'

After a long moment, Kit spoke, "I can't talk about this anymore," she said, barely above a whisper, "I'm sorry, I can't. I'll think about it…"

She took a deep breath. She had almost snapped at Emmett that it wasn't his business. That she was handling it and wanted to be left alone, but she wasn't going to talk to him like that. He didn't deserve to be snapped at just because she was turning into a giant mess who apparently fell apart at the drop of a hat.

"I know," Emmett said suddenly, understanding, "You want to rip my head off."

"No," Kit said, turning to face him, "I'm not that upset. Maybe a foot…or your arm…"

A small, sad smile graced Emmett's youthful face and he placed his hand atop Kit's.

"I'm sorry," he told her, "I should've asked before speaking with Carlisle."

"…I would have done the same thing," Kit admitted, "I would have told my parents if the roles were reversed. I get it."

"But…?" Emmett drawled out.

"But I just want it left alone," she said quietly, "I hate talking about it and…" she sighed that overwhelming exhausting sound again, "I'm sorry."

Emmett nodded slowly, "That's okay…"

Kit eyed him, "Is it?"

"Yeah," he lied, "It will be."

"I hope so," Kit muttered, "Um...thank you. For, you know, being there for me. I know it's not fair to you and it's frustrating and you're trying to help…it's a lot to deal with."

Emmett shrugged, "People say stuff about my family all the time. Bad stuff, too. You know, like we're all siblings, but we're dating each other. Some of it gets pretty creative."

She picked at her nails, "How do you deal with it?"

Emmett grimaced, "Ah, probably a bad example. We just ignore it."

"And it never bothers you?" Kit asked, "Ever?"

"It gets annoying," Emmett shrugged again, "I guess it depends which one of us you ask. I think it's hilarious! But if you ask Esme or Carlisle, they may think differently, since we're their children...or Jasper, since he feels their emotions."

"Oh," Kit muttered, "I talked to Jasper, already."

Emmett looked at her, perplexed, "You did?"

She nodded, "Yes, it was quite helpful, it meant a lot..." she felt her throat tighten and shook her head, "Anyway," she stood up and went to fetch her bag, "Now that Bella's mother is safe, are we able to return home?"

"In a bit," Emmett said with a sigh, "There's something you have to do first."

"Me?" Kit pointed to herself, "What do I have to do?"

"Relax," Emmett said, "Besides, you could use some cheering up."

"Okay…" she mumbled, unsure of where her boyfriend (a boyfriend, she couldn't believe it!) was going with this.

"A spa day," Emmett declared cheerfully.

Kit quirked an eyebrow, "A spa day?" she queried.

"Yeah," Emmett nodded, "You do remember that's where you're supposed to be, right? You can't go back home looking like you do now!"

Kit frowned, eyes going to the side, then back to Emmett's face. Another one of her awkward habits.

"I'm trying to figure out if I should agree with you or take offense to that," she admitted. She narrowed her eyes a little, "I'm leaning towards the second one."

"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant," Emmett said. He picked up her hand, showing off her jagged and bitten nails with ruined cuticles, "I was talking about manicures and stuff. You know, facials or whatever you're supposed to do. Alice always blathers about it. Girl stuff."

"Oh," Kit perked up a little, much more at ease, "That makes sense."

"That's why I said it," Emmett grinned at her, "There's a spa here at the hotel. You and Bella are going to spend the day there. We gotta make our alibi believable."

"I guess…" Kit somewhat agreed, "But isn't that expensive?"

"Not at all," Emmett waved it off, "Don't worry about it, just enjoy yourself."

Kit nodded slowly. A spa day sounded nice and it did comfort her that Bella would be going with her.

She smiled, "That sounds really nice."

* * *

Kit felt a little vain as she stared at herself in the mirror, moving a hand to touch her waxed face. She had desperately needed to wax her upper lip, her eyebrows and the rest of her face. She had been planning to do so when she returned home, but the spa had taken care of that.

Not only had she gotten her entire face waxed, but her skin was soft and glowing thanks to the face mask and body scrub that left a faint scent of citrus and honeysuckle.

"Your skin looks great," Bella came to stand beside her, donning the soft spa robes.

Kit smiled, "Yours does too," she giggled a little shyly, "It's silky smooth. Can I see your nails?"

Bella looked reluctant, but held out her hand, "I don't like color on my nails."

"We match," Kit held out her own hand, showing Bella the French manicure, "But I got color on my toes."

"Yellow?" Bella guessed.

Kit smiled, "Light pink."

"Dark blue," Bella looked down at her toes, "Edward likes the color on me."

"It looks good with your skin," Kit agreed, looking up from the matching manis when she heard heels clicking against the shiny floors.

"Do you like it?" the woman asked.

"Yes, it's lovely," Kit said, "And lunch was delicious. Thank you so much."

The woman dipped her head, "It was our pleasure. Your clothes are in the room where you left them. You can get dressed."

"Thank you," Bella told her, "C'mon, Kit."

Kit followed Bella into the dimly lit room in the back, finding her clothes folded neatly on the counter, her shoes right below them.

She faced away from Bella as she changed and adjusted her clothes, turning down the collar of her dress.

"I feel pretty great," Bella said sheepishly, "But I'm ready to go home. I never thought I would say this, but I miss Forks."

"Me too," Kit's eyebrows drew together, "Hey, were you able to call your mom?"

"Yeah!" Bella gasped happily, "Yeah, we talked for awhile. She'll be going back to Phoenix soon. I'm so relieved."

Kit nodded, "I bet you are. I'm glad she's safe."

"Thanks," Bella said, "I'm glad that everyone is safe."

Kit hummed in agreement and the two teenagers called out another thank you to the salon workers, grateful smiles on their faces. No surprise, as soon as they left the salon, their significant others were there to greet them.

"I'm still in once piece, Em," Kit joked, laughing when Emmett hugged her.

A few people looked on in concern as they passed, Kit looking like a twig next to Emmett's massive frame.

"I know, but it's been _hours_ ," Emmett moaned dramatically, "Can I see your nails?"

Kit showed him the clear polish with white tips, "It's some kind of special polish that doesn't chip. I might stop biting my nails."

Emmett took Kit's hand, running his thumb over the shellac polish.

"Pretty," he complimented.

"And I got pink on my toes," she smiled up at him, "It was really nice. I feel all relaxed."

"Good," Emmett said sincerely, cupping Kit's face with his hands. Her skin was soft and glowing from the treatment, "Are you ready to go home?"

Kit nodded eagerly, lowering Emmett's hands from her face when she started to get too cold. She missed her family greatly, but was dreading the return to school and still nervous about the possible talk she might have with Carlisle.

"Let's go get your things, then," Emmett suggested, wrapping his arm around Kit's waist, "We'll be flying back."

"Okay," Kit agreed easily, letting Emmett lead her back to the hotel room. She didn't see Edward or Bella and assumed that they had gone back up.

"Have you ever been here before?" Emmett asked, pressing the up button on the elevator.

"No," Kit shook her head, "Born and raised in New Hampshire, then I came to Forks," she laughed lightly, "That's it. The end."

"The end," Emmett mocked with an eye roll, "Don't you miss New Hampshire?"

"Yes, very much," she held onto Emmett when the elevator jostled her a little, "We still own the house there, it was my grandma's. I do miss the school there, a little bit because of the classes and I miss the chur…" she trailed off and shrugged, "I'm sure we'll go back during the summer or on another break. Ooh, maybe-" she stopped, peeking up at Emmett, "Oops, I was rambling again, wasn't I? I'm sorry, I'm such a chatterbox."

"No, keep going!" Emmett encouraged, "I like it."

Kit eyed him hesitantly, scrunching her nose when Emmett pecked her on the cheek.

"I was just going to say," she continued, "That maybe my family and I would be able to go for Christmas. I was more thinking aloud than actually talking," she flushed.

Emmett watched the color pool in Kit's cheeks, the scent of her blood intensifying in the stuffy elevator. His throat burned, but he swallowed back the venom, his eyes darkening.

"Emmett, hey, hey," Kit placed her hand on Emmett's cheek, having to stand on her tiptoes to do so, "Hey, look at me," she stroked his cheek, nervous as she tried to soothe him, "It's okay. I need you to look at me."

Green locked on dark and she couldn't help but tense when one of Emmett's large hands came to wrap around her wrist. She could see him struggling with himself and for a quick second, she broke eye contact to glance at the screen that showed what floor they were on before going back to Emmett. They would be stopping soon.

"It's okay, Emmett," she whispered, biting her lip, "It's me…it's Kit."

Emmett sighed heavily, his eyes closing as he nuzzled into Kit's hand. His grip loosened at the same time his eyes opened.

"Are you okay?" he rasped, the 'ding' of the elevator startling him a bit.

"Are you?" Kit countered. She slowly led Emmett out of the elevator, a well-dressed couple openly staring.

"I'm sorry," was all Emmett managed, his voice dropping.

"It's okay, Em," she repeated, still using that quiet, soothing tone, "You came back."

When they approached the door to the hotel suite, he jammed the room key card into the slot, cursing when it broke, half of it falling to break into more pieces once it hit Emmett's foot.

Still, the door opened and Emmett shoved it open, walking ahead of Kit and into the bedroom with a speed she couldn't keep up with.

Perplexed, Kit trailed after him, shocked at the reaction. She had never seen him look so…that. When the mood was tense or dire, he would usually crack a joke. She could only recall one time when he hadn't done so.

She went into the bedroom and shut the door, staring at Emmett who was sitting on the bed, elbows on knees and face in his hands. She didn't approach him, but stayed where she was.

"I could've killed you," he said.

"You could have," Kit agreed, "It's always a possibility."

Emmett lifted his head, looking straight at the wall. He was lost in thought and a small crease appeared on his brow.

"I've done it before," he told her, "Killed people."

"… _Edward had his hands full with me at first_. _I had some trouble with the rules_ …"

The rules he had said. Such as abstaining from human blood as the Cullens so prided themselves on. She remembered: all human life was precious.

"Okay…" she drawled out nervously.

"I don't feel guilty about it," he said, "Not anymore, but two people in particular—they were girls. Not much older than you…possibly…most likely. I don't know, they smelled too good. Their deaths were quick if that makes it easier…" he shrugged, uncertain of how to continue.

It didn't make it easier and Kit wasn't sure what to say or what to do. Unsure if she was supposed to soothe him, get mad at him…forgive him?

"W-what do you want me to say?" she asked.

Emmett shook his head, "You don't have to say anything," he said casually, "But I wanted you to know—wanted you to understand that yes I value human life. I always have, but there were times—a lot of times, when I gave into my thirst and I killed. I was a murderer. Can you accept that?"

Kit thought for a very long moment, looking off to the side. Could she?

She recalled more of the conversation she and Emmett had that day near the river. Trouble with the rules. While he hadn't said it at the time, it had been implied.

Kit had to remind herself, constantly, that Emmett was a vampire. It was just so bewildering and the things he could do still caught her by surprise. He was a vampire—a different species—someone, who's kind main and only substantial diet consisted of blood and it was usually human blood.

And was that their fault? No. it was who they were and when Emmett, in the past, had fist encountered a human, Kit could only image how painful and difficult it had to be when your mind said one thing and your body literally rebelled, painfully telling you to do something else.

Only, there was a part of Kit—the judgmental part that she hated to admit existed, that was extremely bothered by Emmett's confession.

Then, there was a third part that judged the part of Kit that accepted what Emmett had done. Did it make her a bad person for trying to justify Emmett's actions? He had killed people for crying out loud!

' _Stop it_ ,' she thought to herself, ' _That's an awful thing to think_! _Get off your soapbox and don't make him feel bad about it_. _What kind of person are you_?'

Finally, she told all her thought process parts to shut up and actually let her think, focusing more on the first part. It did bother her, she could admit that, but she wasn't going to judge him and yes, she could accept it. That life was behind him, he wasn't that person anymore and even if he was—well, they would cross that bridge if somehow they ever came to it. Together.

She went forward, the silence so thick that her heels made noise against the carpet. She stopped in front of Emmett, but he still didn't look at her.

"I can accept it," she said.

Finally, he looked at her, "Can you really? It doesn't bother you?"

"It bothers me," she said honestly, "I'm not going to lie about that, but it doesn't change how I feel about you. What happened back then, that doesn't change who you are _now_. I can accept your past, Emmett…" she trailed off, "I accept _you_."

He nodded slowly, "Were you scared in the elevator?"

Kit bit her lip, eyebrows creasing.

"You can tell me…" he prompted.

"Yes," she whispered, "A little bit. I think I was more scared when you grabbed my wrist. It didn't hurt," she added quickly when panic flitted over his face, "I just wasn't expecting it."

"If I ever hurt you-

"Oh, I would tell you," Kit interrupted firmly, frown turning into a glare, "Trust me, I would."

That would be another hard bridge to cross. She didn't think Emmett would ever hurt her, but she couldn't rule it out the possibility of it never happening. He had specifically told her—warned her of his strength and while he very carefully minded his actions, there were times when she worried about him. Was it uncomfortable having to be so careful all the time or was he used to it?

Then again, she was always worrying. About everyone and everything. Mostly her family.

"They're waiting," she answered her own thoughts aloud.

"Who's waiting?" Emmett asked, thrown off by the subject change.

"My family," Kit sat on Emmett's lap and ran her thumb over his cheekbone. His skin didn't give like hers did.

"Hopefully, Edward's checked us out," Emmett pecked Kit's lips, "Up an at 'em."

"I don't know…" Kit wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'm pretty comfortable."

"Do you ever take _anything_ seriously?" Emmett mocked with a sly grin.

Kit chuckled and kissed him once more before she bit her lip, a faint flush dusting her cheeks as she stood up. She offered a shy smile and began to pack her things.

"We make quite the pair, don't we?" she asked, "And we're okay?"

"Of course!" Emmett folded a shirt, helping Kit pack at human speed, "Never better."

They both looked up when there was a knock at the door.

"Yeah, Eddie?" Emmett called, though it wasn't necessary.

"Stop calling me that!" Edward growled, opening the door, Bella under his arm, "Are you two ready?"

"Achoo!" Kit sneezed into the crook of her arm.

"Bless you," Emmett chimed. He looked at his brother, "Yeah, we're ready."

* * *

Keeping one hand on the wheel, Emmett used his other to press Kit's bouncing leg down.

"You're giving me motion sickness," he joked.

"Ahahaha," Kit said sarcastically, glancing out the window.

"Soon," he promised, patting her leg, "Seriously, like, five minutes."

She nodded and forced herself to relax. She had been a nervous wreck both on the way to the airport and on the plane, sleep failing to claim her as it usually did.

She knew that her family was fine and safe, but that didn't quell her nerves. She wanted to see them and give them hugs and kisses and possibly never ever let them go. Leaving them was hard enough, but seeing them after this whole ordeal had the potential to be harder.

"What happens if I completely lose it?" she looked at Emmett, "Because I'm not going to lie, I might just burst into hysterics…or have a panic attack. Maybe both."

"You might freak them out," Emmett said, "And it will be hard to explain. So, it would be easier if you held your composure, but it's understandable if you can't."

"I suppose we'll see," she murmured, heart speeding up as Emmett pulled into their driveway.

Emmett unbuckled Kit's seat belt for her, partly worried that she would rip it off.

"Go ahead," he unlocked the doors, "I'll get your-

Kit was already running to the front door as soon as Emmett had started with 'go' and she fumbled with her house key, twisting it in the lock with shaking fingers, struggling even more to remove it.

"Mom?" she shouted as soon as she stepped inside, "Daddy? Indigo?"

"Kitty!" Indigo cried, emerging from the kitchen.

Kit rushed to her sister, scooping Indigo high into her arms before she crushed her to her chest.

"Hi, sweetheart," Kit choked out, throat tightening, "Hi, honey. Hi, hello, I missed you so much."

She buried her face in Indigo's shoulder, rocking her back and forth.

"I missed you too," Indigo gasped out, "Um…can you p-put me down?"

"Not yet," Kit mumbled, pressing multiple kisses to her sister's temple, "A little longer…"

"Kit!" Everly descended the stairs with Blake behind her, "You're back!"

Her parents now in sight, Indigo squirmed in Kit's hold, kicking her legs.

"She's suffocating me!" she screeched.

"Kit, put your sister down," Blake chuckled, "She's turning blue."

Kit kissed Indigo one last time, placed her down, then went forward, hugging her father tightly and reaching for her mother.

"I missed you," her voice cracked.

"We missed you too," Blake stroked Kit's back, eyes going to the door when he saw movement, "Hello, Emmett."

"Hello," Emmett smiled, "Babe, I'm leaving your bag here," he placed it by the door.

"Mmm," Kit hummed, barely acknowledging him.

"Hi, Emmett!" Indigo greeted, beaming.

"Hey, kiddo," Emmett smiled down at her, "How was your Spring Break?"

"Good!" Indigo said, "How was yours?"

"…Very entertaining," Emmett supplied, "It's nice to be home."

Everly, who was still in Kit's crushing embrace, shifted.

"Ah, Kit Kat?" she asked, sounding off, "Are you okay? We'd love to hear about you spa trip."

"And I think you've cut off my circulation," Blake added.

Reluctantly, Kit let go, blinking furiously to rid them of the tears.

"Look at how pale you are!" Everly fretted. She touched Kit's forehead, "As a side note: your eyebrows look fantastic."

"Thank you," Kit said, biting her lip. She studied her parents' faces, then Indigo's.

"Sure you're all right?" Blake asked, cocking his head.

"Mhm, yes," Kit nodded, "Tired and I really missed you. Um…" she shifted her gaze over to Emmett, "I'll see you at school on Monday?"

"I need the car, Monday," Everly interjected quietly.

Emmett nodded, "Then, I'll pick you up?"

"That would be nice," Kit skipped over to give him a hug, "Thank you."

"Of course," he tilted her face up, kissing her forehead, "I love you."

Kit's face flushed when she heard the small gasp behind her, but she did her best to ignore it.

"I love you too," she told him, "Bye."

"Bye," he ran his hand down her cheek, then left the house.

However, Kit continued to stand there, all blood rushing to her face. She was sure she rivaled the ripest of tomatoes.

"Forget your trip, when did _that_ happen!?" Everly demanded, sounding very excited. She bounced forward and dragged Kit to the kitchen, "Ice cream or tea?"

"Tea!" Blake called, sounding a bit angry as he followed the women into the kitchen, "I want to hear this!"

"Me too, me too!" Indigo chanted, breaking out into a run.

Kit laughed softly, missing words as her mother chattered her ear off. This was going to be a long, long conversation.


	23. Just A Day, Just An, Ordinary Day

Pink.

That was the only word to describe Indigo's bedroom.

Pink.

The walls, the curtains around the window, the sheets, the comforter, even the lampshade on her nightstand was pink. The furniture was white and the shelves around her room held books and toys that had been pushed aside in favors of the hundreds of seashells and other beach things that Indigo collected.

Kit found Indigo atop her bed, crayon moving furiously in a coloring book, her tongue sticking out in concentration.

"Hi, honey," Kit greeted, perching herself on the edge of Indigo's bed, "Shouldn't you be doing your homework?"

"I _will_ ," Indigo rolled her eyes, "I only have one assignment to do and it's super easy."

"Okay, okay," Kit easily relented.

She watched Indigo color for a long time. Her sister's straight blonde hair was getting longer and it would be reaching beyond her waist soon. Her big green eyes were bright with life and Kit swore she could see the faintest of freckles appearing on the bridge of her nose.

Feeling eyes on her, Indigo blinked, then looked up, frowning at Kit.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked.

Kit sighed, stroking her hand down Indigo's hair.

"I miss you," she murmured sadly.

Indigo blinked again, "I'm right here."

"I know," Kit said. Despite Indigo's protests, she pushed the coloring book aside in order to scoot closer, "You're growing up so fast. It breaks my heart."

"Oh?" Indigo asked, huffing as she eyed her coloring book.

" _Yes_ ," Kit laughed, hugging her sister tightly and resting her cheek atop Indigo's head, "It does. You're my baby."

Indigo wilted into Kit's arms and she exhaled a sigh of her own, placing down a red crayon that she held in between her fingers.

"I know," she said quietly. She paused, "You're my mommy."

Kit inhaled sharply at the same time Indigo froze. The two listened intently, but could hear nothing.

"I know, I know," Indigo said, much quieter, "But that's the first time I've said it in, like, _fifty_ years!" she defended.

Though what Indigo had said warmed Kit's heart, she tsked in disapproval.

"I can't believe you remember that," she admonished, "You used to be so forgetful and you stopped calling me 'mommy' when you were six."

"That's because you and daddy said it hurt mommy's feelings," Indigo scowled.

"It did—does," Kit said. She hurriedly changed the subject, "Now, I have to pick up some money from Tiffany Call. More of mom's paintings sold. Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure," Indigo agreed, flipping her coloring book closed, "Let's hit the road."

"Wait, let me…" Kit tucked in the tag to Indigo's shirt, "Your tag was sticking out, and fix your pockets."

Indigo exhaled, but shoved her hands into her jean pockets, tucking in the pocket liners that had been sticking out.

The two sisters donned their jackets: Indigo's pink zip up hoodie and Kit in her yellow trench coat before the headed down the stairs hand-in-hand.

"You two heading out?" Everly asked, rubbing at the blue paint on her nose.

"Yes," Kit said, "We won't be gone long."

"Good, because it's movie night," Everly told them, "Your dad gets to pick."

" _Muppets In Space_ , _Muppets In Space_ , _Muppets In Space_!" came Blake's chant from somewhere in the house.

Kit chuckled, giving up trying to place where her dad was, "Okay, great. Do you need me to pick up anything else?"

"No, I think we're okay," Everly said, "Question…will you be seeing Emmett today?"

"Oooooh!" Indigo teased, "Kitty and Emmett are in loooooove!"

Kit gently pushed on her sister's forehead, chucking when Indigo cried out and slapped her hand away.

The conversation regarding Kit's love life had been long and awkward, but also funny. Conversations with her family always were. Her parents were very… _open_ ; and people often questioned Blake and Everly's ability to parent when they heard the things they told their children, but neither Kit or Indigo minded. However, later that night, a more embarrassing conversation between Everly and Kit transpired when the latter admitted that the two had kissed…repeatedly and that only opened doors for more of Everly's anecdotes that had all of Kit's blood rushing to her face.

It had been nice, though and Kit thanked God everyday for her parents.

"No," she finally answered, "Not that I'm aware of. Why?"

"I was just wondering," Everly shrugged, "Oh and Willa called the home phone. Make sure you call her back."

"I will," Kit promised with a smile, "I love you."

"I love you more," Everly replied.

"Not possible," Kit said as she and Indigo kissed their mother goodbye.

"Yes, possible," Everly patted Indigo's head, "Tell Tiffany that I said hello and thank you."

"We will," Indigo chimed, "Bye, mommy. Bye, daddy," she called.

" _Bye_ , _you two_!" Blake responded, " _Be safe_."

Kit led Indigo out to their mother's car.

"Oh, good," she said, opening the backdoor, "Your booster seat's-

"Uggggghhh!" Indigo groaned, reluctantly climbing into the seat and expertly bucking herself in.

"Sweetie," Kit started, shutting the door. She hurried around to the driver's side and got in, "You'll grow, I promise. Seriously, when I was your age, I was the tiniest little thing. I was scrawny and my eyes were huge. I didn't think I would ever grow and then I shot right up when I was twelve-

"Twelve!?" Indigo cried, horrified, "Goodness gracious, that's going to take forever!"

"Only four years," Kit said calmly, cranking up the heater, "And who knows, you might grow sooner. Goodness, you might be taller than me in the future."

"Okaaaaay," Indigo drawled out, eyebrows knitting together, "But what if I'm short for the rest of my life, then what?"

"Then, that's okay," Kit summarized, "And you're not short, you're funsize."

From the rearview mirror, she saw her sister scrunch up her nose in distaste.

"Alice is only 4'11"," Kit reminded, "I don't think you've met her, yet, but she's Emmett's sister and she's…a bit older than me and she's done growing."

Indigo seemed somewhat satisfied with that information and relaxed in her seat.

"Okay," she agreed, "I guess I don't care how tall I am as long as I get out of this thing!" she squirmed in her seat.

"Well, you can get out of that thing, yet," Kit shifted the car into park, "We're here."

After getting out of the car, Kit held out her hand, waiting for Indigo to come to her side. With intertwined fingers, they entered the small souvenir shop, an old rusted bell above the door chimed announcing their arrival.

Tiffany Call stood behind the wooden checkout counter, all sorts of small knickknacks piled around the metal cash register. She was beautiful with her russet skin, long black hair and dark brown eyes. Though, currently, she was busy, talking to a boy with similar features.

"You could at least wear a helmet," Tiffany scolded quietly, "Despite that thick skull of yours, you could crack your head open."

"Ugh, mom!" the boy moaned, rolling his eyes, "Come on, that's not going to happen, I do it all the time and so do Quil and Jacob. What? Do you want me to wear a helmet when I cliff-dive? Arm floaties?"

"Watch your tone, Mister," Tiffany warned firmly, "I mean it."

The boy sighed, "Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry."

Tiffany gave a curt nod of approval and then her eyes randomly flicked up and widened.

"Oh!" she gasped, seeming to be embarrassed at being caught scolding her son, "Hello, there."

"Hello, Ms. Call," Kit said warmly, walking forward. She looked at the boy, "You must be, Embry."

"Yeah," he said, crossing his arms. He looked her up and down, "Who are you?"

"Kit Algren, I would guess," Tiffany said. She smiled widely at Indigo, "Hi, sweetpea."

"Hi," Indigo returned the smile, "My mommy says hello."

"Well give Everly my greetings," Tiffany chirped, "You must be Indigo."

"I am," the child confirmed, peeking up at Embry. She beamed at him, "Hi!"

Embry's lips quirked up in a small smile, "Hey there, Squirt."

Indigo didn't look pleased at the term, but she let it slide as Tiffany began talking.

"Here you are," Tiffany handed Kit a white envelope, "If it's any help, people are going nuts over the bird paintings. The sunset ones, too. They're a big hit."

"Wonderful," Kit said sincerely, "That does help, and I'll let her know. Thank you."

"Of course," Tiffany smiled, "You girls have a nice day."

"You too. Bye," Kit waved and nodded at Embry, "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise," Embry drawled, "See you around."

"Kitty?" Indigo asked once they were outside, "Can we go to the beach? Just for a little bit?"

Kit gave her sister a look, "You know we're supposed to go right home."

"Please?" Indigo begged, clutching onto Kit's hand "Only for a minute. Pretty please?"

Kit melted when Indigo fixed her with big green eyes and she sighed, tilting her head back as she caved.

"Okay, okay," she agreed, "Ten minutes, then. Come on, it's close enough that we can walk down."

Her lilac secretary dress ruffled underneath her opened jacket and she squinted when she felt her eyes dry, blinking furiously at the invading wind.

She released Indigo's hand when they got close enough, "Go nuts, but stay where I can see you."

Indigo ran off and Kit walked behind her at a much slower pace. She looked around, having only been to this particular beach once. It was almost empty except for three boys down the beach playing soccer. From where she was standing, Kit could see their dark skin and cropped hair. They were all dressed in the same pair of cut-off shorts and nothing else. They looked like triplets and she wondered if they were brothers.

After a second, she turned her attention away from them and back to Indigo who was digging in the sand, probably for more seashells.

She approached her sister, "Don't get too dirty."

"I won't," Indigo dismissed, "Hey, Kitty, what's this?" she held up a blue chunk.

"Oh, that seaglass," Kit breathed, kneeling down to get a closer look, "Wow, how pretty!"

Indigo frowned at it, "Seaglass?"

"It's normal glass," Kit explained, "You know, like, broken bottles and I think the salt from the ocean makes it so it's not sharp anymore and then it turns into that," she pointed to it, "Ta-da."

"Oh," Indigo said. She pocketed it, "I like it. I'll add it to my seashell collection."

"Sounds like a—eep!" Kit squeaked as something rammed into her legs, causing her to fall over on her side. She righted herself and frowned at the culprit. A dirty soccer ball.

" _Hey_ , _Paleface_!"

Kit looked up from the ball and saw one of the boys waving his arms wildly up in the air.

"What's a Paleface?" Indigo asked.

"I guess people who have pale faces," Kit mumbled with a shrug. She picked up the ball and climbed to her feet, "C'mon, Indi, but stay behind me. I don't want you getting too close."

Fiddling nervously with the ball in her hands, Kit walked over to the three boys and when she was a few feet away, she stopped and turned to Indigo.

"Stay _right_ here," she demanded, "And _don't_ move."

With that said, she went over to the trio and once she got closer, she could see the slight differences in their features.

The one in the middle was the tallest and had an older face. He stood 6'6" with long rounded muscles, copper skin, cropped black hair and brown eyes.

The boy on his left side was at least 6 feet tall and muscular, with the same brown eyes on black hair.

The one on the right also stood 6 foot with long, rounded muscles. He had red brown skin, brown hair and matching brown eyes.

The one on the left smirked and roamed Kit's form with his eyes, but before he could speak, Kit thrust her arms forward.

"Here's your ball," she said curtly.

"Thanks," the boy in the middle had a very deep voice, "Sorry we knocked you over."

Kit offered a small smile, "That's quite all right. Enjoy your game."

She made a move to leave, but the boy called out to her again just as she turned.

"Sam Uley," he said simply in a way of introduction.

Kit kept her body forward and turned her head, "Kit," she said, not giving her last name.

Sam nodded and jabbed a thumb on his left, "Paul Lahote," he said, then moved to his right, "Jared Cameron."

She nodded slowly, "Nice to meet you all. I have to get going. My parents are waiting in the car."

She turned and walked away after that. She hadn't meant to be rude, but got a weird vibe from the three and while her sister was getting too big to be carried, Kit picked her up and held her close.

" _That's her_ , _Sam_ ," she heard the poorly concealed whisper behind her, " _That's the other girl_."

Kit stiffened and increased her pace, heart speeding up. She could hear them resume their game and that eased her fears a bit. She had never seen these boys before, but clearly they had seen or heard of her. Usually, she would assume that they were aware of her through some kind of rumor, but it was the ' _other girl_ ' comment that had thrown her off. ' _Other girl_ '. What did that mean and who was the other one?

She didn't set Indigo down until the reached the car. The child was oddly quiet and Kit wondered what was wrong.

"You okay?" she asked her sister, opening the passenger door.

Indigo blinked wide eyes and looked up at Kit as if seeing her for the first time.

"I think I want to do that," she said, looking towards the beach.

Kit followed Indigo's gaze, but she couldn't see anything, "Do what?"

"What those boys were doing," Indigo clarified, face heating up, "I want to do that…" she scuffed her shoe on the floor, "Play soccer."

Kit almost fell over.

* * *

"You are going to love me for the rest of your life and I'm the bestest best friend ever," Willa declared one day after school, her accent thick with excitement.

"Oh?" Kit asked, amused, "Why is that?"

"Because you get to play the violin for me at an audition," Willa chirped, a skip in her step.

"Um…?" Kit slowed her pace, "I do?"

"Yep," Willa nodded, "Here's the great part: Scouts are coming to the studio I dance at. You know, auditions for prestigious dance camps and summer intensives? I checked and we're allowed instrumental for a couple of the audition pieces. I think Jessi's having her mom play."

Kit was still confused, "Jessi?"

"Jessica," Willa said. Noticing Kit's brief look of panic, she quickly corrected herself, "We met her at La Push, remember? I stayed with her to look at some kind of CD. She lives on the Rez."

"Oh, yes," Kit's shoulders relaxed, "Yes, I remember her now. She's a dancer, really? No way?"

Willa grinned, "Way! _So_ ," she continued, "Back to the great part: Dance scouts have connections to all the best orchestras! I bet they'll put in some recommendations for you. There are music and orchestra camps."

Kit's eyes widened, "Wait, you want me to play for you at your auditions!? Auditions that-

"Could possibly jump start my career and get me on the wait list for Julliard, yeah," Willa finished casually.

"Nooooo," Kit dragged out, shaking her head, "Mm-mm, nope, no way."

"Why not?" Willa whined.

"Because I'm not that good," Kit told her, "What if I mess up?"

"You won't."

"You've never heard me play before."

"I'll hear you play at the audition."

"What if one of my strings breaks?"

"Then fix it!"

"Willa!"

"Kit!"

Kit sighed impatiently at her friend.

"If I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't have asked," Willa sounded authentically hurt, "I wouldn't risk this opportunity to placate you and you know how my parents feel about this 'dance thing'," she used air quotes, "They don't think a career involving the arts is practical," she shook her head, "And I respect that, I get why they feel that way; but what they want me to do with my life isn't for me, it doesn't hold my interest."

"Oh?" Kit murmured, showing that she was listening. They had stopped walking completely and now occupied one of the picnic tables.

"Yeah…" Willa's eyes were glazed and faraway, "I'm not going to get too much into it. You wouldn't understand, Jessi and I talked about it once, but some of my family members—especially the old people think I'm 'white-washed' because I do ballet. They don't understand. I'm still very immersed in my culture and I take pride in it, but I can practice Hinduism and break barriers in the dance world at the same time, you know?" she asked rhetorically

Kit didn't know and she kept her mouth shut, waiting for Willa to continue. For all she knew, Willa was only speaking her thoughts aloud and not to Kit directly. She had absolutely no idea what Willa experienced when it came to ballet and her culture or how her family perceived it.

"Anyway, think about it," Willa suggested as she stood up, quickly dispelling the tension, "And let me know. Jessi's sleeping over this weekend. Do you want to too?"

Going with the change in subject, Kit agreed with a small smile, "Sure, I'll ask my parents. It sounds fun," she bit her lip, "And, er…I'll do it. Play for your auditions, I mean. But I only know classical pieces…"

Willa's eyes lit up, "Perfect! It's only for a couple of auditions," she clarified, "Most auditions, you take a full ballet class, but a couple of companies go a bit over the top. They'll be in April, can you do that?"

"I can do that," Kit confirmed as they neared Willa's car. She smiled and waved at Willa's parents.

"I still have a lot to tell you," Willa said, stopping by the passenger side, "My family's all coming over, tonight, so-

"Hello, Kit," Willa's mother rolled down the window and smiled widely, waving a hennaed hand. Her accent was much thicker than Willa's.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Korai," Kit waved back, leaning down to peer into the window, "It's nice to see you both."

Mr. Korai laughed. His hair was inky black and cut short and he had dark brown eyes and rich brown skin.

Mrs. Korai was very cute and had her long black hair pulled into a ponytail. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled, her skin tone matched her daughter's. They looked very much alike.

"Call me Lahari," she said, then placed a hand on her husband's arm, "Sahar."

Sahar leaned forward to look at her "How are you? Are you coming over today?" he turned to Willa, " _Kit par aa raha hai_?"

Though she hadn't understood anything besides her name, Kit glanced at Willa, awaiting an answer.

Willa hummed ever so softly and shook her head, "This weekend," she said firmly, " _Slaiaipovair_. Jessi, too."

"Ahhh," Lahari nodded and looked at Kit, "This weekend?"

Kit smiled and nodded, "Yes."

"Okay, good," Lahari seeming satisfied, reached out the window and took Kit's hand, squeezing, "S'good to see you."

"You too," Kit said sincerely.

"Did Willa tell you we're thinking of moving down to Seattle?" Sahar asked conversationally.

"No," Kit's eyes widened and she looked at Willa, then back to her parents, "Really?" she said, astonished that Willa hadn't mentioned anything.

"For Willa's dancing and family," Sahar confirmed. He gestured wildly, "All of our family is down there, no one in Forks. So, we go down there and be with them. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings, everyone!"

"Awww," Kit gushed with a wide smile, "That sounds really nice. Good luck."

"Thank you," Lahari said. She laughed, "I hope it all works out."

Willa looked irritated at her parents for spilling the news and she sighed as she hugged Kit.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, "And I'll email you about the dance stuff."

"Okay," Kit said, "See you tomorrow," she waved once more at Willa's parents, "Bye!"

She quickly got out of the way for them to pull out of the parking spot and she saw Emmett across the lot, leaning casually against his car and waiting patiently. She hoped he hadn't heard any of her and Willa's conversation. If she could help it, she wasn't going to tell anyone except her parents about playing for Willa's auditions.

The conversation regarding Willa's dancing and how her family perceived it broke Kit's heart and she hoped, with everything that she had, that her friend's dreams came true. Willa was her best friend and she deserved it.

"I'm sorry that I took so long," she said when she reached him.

"You don't need to apologize," he opened the passenger door for her, "How was your day?"

Kit waited until Emmett had gotten situated in the car, "It was fine. Nothing interesting."

That much was true. It had been kind of awkward when a few people had asked what she had done over Spring Break. She had simply said that she had remained at home, then turned the tables on the conversation.

Lauren and her clique hadn't given up their verbal assault, but there had been no pushing or other physical altercation; that made a somewhat good day in Kit's book.

"How was your day?" she asked quickly, hoping Emmett hadn't noticed her brief space out.

"Same old, same old," Emmett said, bored, pulling out of the parking lot, "I'm ready to graduate."

"I'm sure you are," Kit smiled sadly. She couldn't imagine what it was like to repeat high school so many times, "It takes a lot to do what you all do. Repeating school, I mean."

"Hell, yeah it does," Emmett breathed out, exasperated, "I can't tell you how many essays I've recycled," he grinned at her, "Next time we do our homework, I'll do it from scratch. Time me. Ten seconds."

"Nu-uh," Kit shook her head, eyeing him warily, "It does not take ten seconds."

"Ten!" Emmett repeated firmly, "Probably less, depending on the subject. I can't remember the last time I actually had to do an assignment."

"Wow…" she mused, "You must have a lot of free time. What do you do with it all?"

"I work a lot in the basement," he told her, "The bat we use for baseball? I made it," he said proudly, "It took me longer than I'd like to admit and Jasper helped, but that's beside the point."

"You made the bat?" he asked, eyes wide, "Cool. What else?"

"I play video games, chess…" he trailed off and waved a hand, "A bunch of stuff, really. At night, I'm with you."

"I know," she said this a little guiltily, "You must get so bored."

"Not, really," Emmett said, "It's interesting watching you sleep."

She blinked rapidly and looked at Emmett, shocked, "Pardon? You watch me sleep?"

"Yeah," he said casually, perplexed, "Like I said, it's interesting…" he paused, "Wait, what did you think I was doing?"

Now it was her turn to look stumped, "I don't know," she lamented, "Maybe you read a book or something. Do I look weird when I sleep?"

Emmett laughed and reached over to touch her arm, "No, you look cute, but you get all restless. Sometimes I move so that you don't hurt yourself. Do you have nightmares?"

"No, not that I'm aware of," she murmured, shocked at the revelation, "Huh…"

"What?" he asked.

"No, nothing," she shook her head, "It's just interesting. I can't recall what I dream about."

"Does it bother you?" he asked, "I can stop."

"Thanks," Kit said with a shy smile, a hint of a flush on her cheeks.

With the speed of Emmett's driving, they were at Kit's house in no time, and the sleek silver car pulled into the driveway and idled there. There were no other cars parked and Indigo was still at school.

"Would you like to come in?" Kit asked, unbuckling her seat belt.

"You two are taking forever!"

Kit screamed, loudly, both her hands going to cover her mouth. Chest heaving, she whirled around and saw Alice flashing white teeth, Jasper beside her.

"Oh my…" Kit panted, leaning back against the seat. She placed a hand over her racing heart, "My heart just stopped."

Alice at least looked like she felt bad, "I'm sorry, Kit," she said sincerely. She grinned again, "I really thought you heard Jasper and I opening the doors."

"Obviously not," Emmett laughed, placing a hand on Kit's arm, "You okay, babe?"

"Peachy," Kit groaned, turning to look at the couple in the back, "What are you two doing here?"

Alice sighed and leaned forward, all business, "I have a question."

Kit's eyes darted to the side, then back. She frowned, "Okay?"

"What's your favorite color?"

Kit blinked rapidly, not understanding, though the question was something a baby could probably answer.

"I don't—my—i-it's yellow, you know that," she said stupidly.

"Really?" Alice wrinkled her nose, "You want a _yellow_ themed birthday party?"

Kit blinked at her again, then looked at Emmett desperately, "I don't know what's happening, right now," she moaned.

Emmett laughed and Jasper snickered.

"You don't know what a birthday party is?" the Southerner asked, a rare, teasing smile on his face.

"Of course I do!" Kit exclaimed, "I just—Alice, you couldn't have asked me this at school? And my birthday isn't until the summer."

"Well, I have to plan early," Alice huffed at Kit, her hands on her hips, "Your party needs to be perfect."

Now that her heart resumed it's regular rate, and with breath evened out, Kit's lips quirked up, "Well, thank you, but I don't really celebrate my birthday…I guess."

Alice's eyes widened, "You don't celebrate your birthday!?" she cried dramatically, "Why not!?"

Kit smiled a little sadly, "Would you believe that my mom's birthday is only four days after mine? And my dad's is two weeks after hers? We all wait and then do a small celebration together. It's really quite lovely, but we go all out for Indi's birthday…" she trailed off, uncomfortable with Alice's intense, unblinking stare. She looked at Emmett, "Um…?"

"Alice," Jasper nudged her, "You're scaring the human."

Alice blinked, "So, you've never had a birthday party?"

Kit frowned and shook her head, "No."

Growing up, in elementary school, Kit hadn't had a lot of friends. As a child, she had always been awkward and quiet. People had made fun of her clothes, comparing her to a banana because of her freckles. She was a loner, perfectly happy to celebrate with her parents, her grandmother and later, Indigo. It had made Kit feel extremely happy that she and her mother had birthdays so close together. She was special and unique, her parents had said. They were a special family.

"My parents had someone from church come over once," she said, biting her lip, "I'm not a big party person…sorry."

"She might not be here, Alice," Emmett interjected, coming to Kit's rescue, "She'll probably be in New Hampshire."

"Uh-huh," Kit promptly nodded, "New Hampshire."

It was silent again and Alice stared, making Kit visibly uncomfortable as she squirmed in her seat.

"Um…" Kit drawled, "Did you two want to come in?"

"No, thank you," Alice declined politely. She took Jasper's hand, "We should get home, but Kit, would you help me plan Bella's party?"

"Bella's?" Kit's eyes widened, "Her birthday's in September!"

"Oh, I know," Alice shook her head, looking tense, "And hers has to be big! She's turning eighteen. You'll help, won't you?"

"Okay," Kit agreed, still perplexed, "Yes."

"Great!" Alice leaned forward to kiss Kit on the cheek, "See you tomorrow!"

And then she and Jasper were gone, the car doors closing with barely a click.

"Alice is big on celebrations, huh?" Kit asked, her and Emmett exiting the car.

"I guess," Emmett shrugged, "She's always itching to celebrate something. The last time she threw something together was for my twentieth."

"So, you're not even old enough to drink," Kit teased, laughing as she entered the house.

"Hey, I resent that," Emmett called to her, "The drinking laws were different back then!"

"Mhm," Kit hummed, giggling.

She went into the kitchen and went into the fridge to get a bottle of water.

"Hey, so, tell me about this church-thing," Emmett said, sitting down at the table. He eyed her oddly, "You went to church?"

Kit's cheeks colored and she went over to sit on his lap, "Up until my grandma died," she whispered, "We stopped going, then, but…" she swallowed thickly, tears welling up when Emmett began to run his fingers through her hair, "She was the organ player and I was in the church choir with my mom."

"You were not!?" Emmett gasped.

"I was!" Kit insisted, wiping her eyes as she laughed, "Gosh, I was great," she paused and looked at Emmett, "Is it okay if I talk about it? I almost mentioned church once before, but I wasn't sure how you felt…? Being a vampire…?" she trailed off awkwardly.

Emmett shrugged, "It's fine. I believe in God and stuff, heaven and hell…to an extent, but I don't practice anything. Do you?"

"It's been a few years," Kit said, "But my family and I are Christian—non-traditional, I guess. I don't know. We have different beliefs and don't believe in quite a few things that are in the Bible—we know that Jesus was Middle-Eastern," she shook her head, "Christian to us can mean something _way_ different to another Christian family. We used to pray before every meal and went to church multiple times a day—choir practices, but then my grandma…" she stopped, "So, we just don't practice as much as we did," she sighed, "I miss the church more than anythin—oh gosh," she covered her mouth with her hand, "I'm rambling again! I'm such a chatterbox, I'm sorry."

"Hey, you're fine," Emmett promised, "I told you, I like your rambles."

"It doesn't get annoying?" Kit asked, twisting around to look at him.

Emmett tugged on a lock of her hair, "Never."

"M'kay," Kit hummed, lying her head on his chest, "It doesn't bother you that I'm Christian? I won't…burn you or anything, right?"

Emmett laughed, "No, another myth. You know, Carlisle's a huge religion nut. You and him seem to have a lot in common. He used to be a pastor."

"Really?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah," Emmett nodded, "He'll tell you about it, if you ask."

"Okay," Kit said, though she had no plans to do so. She wasn't necessarily avoiding Carlisle, but she remembered telling Emmett she would think of speaking with the blonde doctor and that made her extremely nervous.

She startled when she felt Emmett's arms wrap around her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, hearing her heart speed up.

"Yes," she said, "Just thinking."

"About?" he prompted.

Biting her lip, Kit hurried to come up with something, "You know that you'll be graduating. Won't it be weird dating someone still in high school?"

It was silent and Kit focused on the feeling of Emmett's slow breathing. She tried to match it to keep herself from panicking. Both from her earlier thoughts and the current subject they were on. The age difference really didn't bother her, especially since Emmett would live decades longer than her. It would have if Emmett was human. She had been a little on the fence about liking him when she thought he was a normal eighteen-year-old boy, but he wasn't and she thought that would make their relationship okay…

"Kit, babe, if you're not comfortable, then that's fine," Emmett said, "I promise. We can take a step back if you want. Hell, I'll make big scene and set myself on fire in the aftermath of our breakup if that will make you comfortable."

Kit laughed and looked up at him, "You would?"

He grinned, "I would," he sobered, "We can slow down. What has you so worried?"

Kit shrugged, but answered, "I'm comfortable where we are in our relationship, but guess I'm not used to being in such a small town, yet. People talk…"

' _Then they question my mom's parenting_ ,' she thought bitterly. She couldn't remember a time before coming to Forks, when she had been so worried and caught up with what people were saying about her and her family.

Emmett's voice brought her back to the present, "And they sound stupid when they do," he said, "Most of the time, they have no idea what they're talking about and it makes them sound ridiculous. There are some good people in this town."

Kit hummed an agreement and the two sat there for awhile, Kit wrapped in Emmett's large and muscular arms.

"Kit?" came Emmett's voice, a soft murmur.

Kit, who had closed her eyes, the chilliness of Emmett's skin keeping her from falling asleep, allowed her eyes to flutter open. She peeked up at him.

"Mhm?" she hummed.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" Emmett asked, "You know, a special one?"

A smile lit up Kit's face and she laughed lightly, "A special date?"

"Yeah," Emmett said, kissing her forehead, "In a few weeks or so."

Kit beamed at him, "That sounds lovely. I'd _l_ _ove_ to go on a special date with you," she paused, "What's the special part?"

"It's a secret," he said simply.

"Ugh," Kit scrunched her nose at him, moving to her own chair when she got too cold, "You and your secrets," there was some teasing in her tone and she chuckled when Emmett stood and picked her up.

"I know, it sucks," Emmett laughed along with her.

"Well, put me down," Kit demanded, "And tell me the secret of doing math homework."

* * *

 **Author's Note: I was so excited to write this chapter, especially the conversation between Willa and Kit. I know there's sort of a rule or a MarySue thing about your personal life and OC characters, but I'll (unashamedly) admit that Willa (and her family) is _such_ a personal character to me and I love her so much. I am so excited to further develop her character and storyline in future chapters.**

 **\- FictionChic**


	24. You See Me I Be Work, Work, Work, Work

Pausing in their trek up the stairs, a scream left Everly's lips, startling Kit when a soccer ball went whizzing past them and crashed into the lamp on the table near the couch.

"Uh-oh…" Kit said, watching fury color her mother's youthful face.

"BLAKE!" Everly screeched, fists clenched at her side.

"Did you _see_ that-" Blake coughed into his fist, cutting off his joyous laughter. He steadied Indigo with his free hand, keeping her from barreling straight into his legs.

Having recovered, he held up his hands in surrender, "Darling, I can explain…"

Indigo pointed at her father, "He did it."

Kit snickered, but quickly covered it up with a cough, like her father, when Everly sent a dark stare her way.

"If it makes you feel better," Blake interjected quickly, "I had the video camera rolling and this is going to make a _great_ home video."

"And the lamp's not even broken," Indigo added. She picked it up and placed it back on the table, "See? Just the light bulb cracked."

"No soccer in the house, Indigo," Everly said firmly, "Do I make myself clear?"

Indigo bobbed her head up and down obediently, "Yes, ma'am."

Everly moved her glare to her husband, "Blake! What were you thinking? You can't wait until we take her to lessons?"

Blake looked offended, "What? I can't give her a few pointers?"

The fury seemed to dissipate from Everly's face and she sighed, "Honey…" there was nothing but pity in her eyes and she shook her head, "You-you—no, you can't play soccer."

"He really can't…" Indigo sighed, shaking her head.

"Shhhhh," Blake pressed his hand over Indigo's face, awkwardly patting it, "Daddy's winning."

"You're not," Kit mumbled.

A frown creased Indigo's face and she removed Blake's hand, "I think he hit a squirrel-

"All right, all right!" Blake interrupted loudly, though the girl's laughter, "No soccer in the house and I'll avoid squirrels."

"If you want to help, maybe you can watch soccer on TV," Kit suggested, "Or look something up online."

"Ooh, TV," Indigo pulled on Blake's hand, "I want to watch a soccer game, an all girls one!"

Kit smiled fondly as Indigo dragged a reluctant Blake to the couch and she continued her way upstairs, being the first to enter her parents' bedroom.

"Soccer?" she chuckled lightly, turning her head. She made a face, "Can you believe it?"

"No," Everly smiled, "No one's ever asked to do sports. We're not an athletic family, not at all. But it's what she wants to do…" she trailed off with a shrug.

"If she likes it, then we'll have to learn the rules," Kit said, not at all bothered, "She'll want to play with us."

She flopped down on the large mattress, narrowly missing the scattered envelopes. She scrunched up her nose as she propped herself up on her elbows, gesturing towards it.

"Bills?" she asked worriedly.

Everly was quick to pick up the mess, shuffling them all together and placing them on the dresser.

"Mhm," she hummed, going to join her daughter on the other side of the bed, "We're behind on some."

Kit's heart sunk. They always were.

"I thought moving here would be cheaper?" she asked quietly.

"It is!" Everly insisted, "Trust me, Kit Kat, it's a _lot_ cheaper, but being an artist isn't easy. Especially when you freelance like I do."

A little worried, Kit bit her lip, "But it makes you happy, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Everly agreed with a fond smile, "It does…"

Kit sensed something else in her mother's tone and she pressed her lips together.

"Unfortunately," Everly continued, "The harsh reality of being an adult is: that's not always good enough."

Kit nodded. It had been sometime since she and her mother had had one of these conversations. While they tried to find the positive in every situation, there were times when they simply needed to sit and be serious.

"Well, you know," she started, "Willa asked me to play for her at her auditions," when Everly hummed in acknowledgment, she continued, "Maybe the scouts will put in a good word for me…I'm old enough to get a job, now. I've been looking and then I'll be able to help with rent and stuff."

"Oh, Kit Kat, save your money," Everly told her. She scooted closer, "Save it for your passion. You could buy new art supplies or some sheet music."

"Would you let me help, though?" Kit asked, "If I really wanted to?"

"I'd talk to your father about it, first," Everly decided, "You don't need to worry, honey. Money's tight, but we're not in the danger zone. I promise. I'm going to visit a few more galleries this week and I'm entering some contests. Plus, your dad took that job at your school. The prom photographer."

Kit nodded in reply, glancing back at her mother when she spoke.

"Are you excited to play at Willa's auditions?"

"I think so," Kit said, "Really nervous. I'll have to make sure Nero is tuned and everything."

"I know. You've been needing a new violin for years," Everly said a little guiltily.

Kit bit her lip. Nero was a simple laminate spruce top with laminate maple back and sides—a "starter" violin. He had been purchased used from someone in the church, with scuff marks and scratches galore. At first, he hadn't sounded right, but her grandmother had adjusted it herself and Nero had his fair share of accidents over Kit's younger years. Especially when Indigo started getting into Kit's things.

But new violins were expensive and while she sometimes felt it was hard to improve her intermediate skill level on him, she understood having to work with what you got and she was extremely grateful and perfectly content with Nero. He had character.

"It's fine," Kit promised, "I really don't need a new one. Besides, I've been putting off finding a new teacher, anyway."

Everly nodded slowly, "You've been putting off a lot since we've moved here."

Kit frowned in disagreement, "No, not a lot."

"Enough," Everly said. She sat up, "Talk to me, Kit. You said you were okay with moving here."

"I was—am!" Kit insisted. She dropped her gaze to the fuzzy dark red comforter, "I really am okay with being here. I guess…I really didn't think I would miss New Hampshire that much. The other day, I was telling Emmett about the church and our birthdays and…" tears welled up in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks, "I miss grandma."

Shocked at Kit's sudden reaction, Everly moved to hug her daughter tightly as the teenager burst into tears, kissing the top of her head, "Oh, Kit. I know you do, honey. So do I, so does Blake, Indigo…we all miss her."

"And we just left her there all by herself, and I feel awful!" Kit wailed, covering her face with her hands.

"We still have the house!" Everly reminded frantically, "We still have the house. Her piano's there, some of her things. Do you remember Vanessa?"

Sniffling, Kit lifted her head and frowned, "What?" she said in a tone, implying that her mother was crazy. Her breath hitched as she tried to control her crying, "Yes, of course I do!"

"She still checks up on the house and my mother," Everly swallowed thickly, tears in her own eyes, "You didn't think I was going to leave without making arrangements, did you?"

"I guess not," Kit blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes, though more tears welled up, "Y-you still talk to Vanessa?"

"Yes, at least twice a week," Everly smiled sadly, "And Shelly," she tickled Kit's side, "She misses you, you know."

Kit exhaled. Vanessa was the very intense church choir director and Shelly was Vanessa's daughter, having been the youngest in the group until Kit came along.

She wasn't sure if they had actually been friends, but they had grown up in the church together and played a few times. Shelly had been invited for a play date for Kit's birthday and they had gotten their nails done, then went out for ice cream. They had drifted apart as they aged, as they attended different schools, more so when Kit's grandmother died and the Algrens stopped attending church.

"I think about her sometimes, and I miss her a little bit," Kit finally responded, "But it's been so long since we've talked and Vanessa always talked about you. Grandma said she was a busybody."

With a light laugh Everly nodded firmly,"Yes, she was!" she laughed again, wiping her tears, "And she and your grandma always clashed. They both had loud personalities… _but_ ," she held up a finger when Kit opened her mouth to protest, "Underneath all of that, they were the best of friends even with the huge age gap."

Kit let that information digest and she felt a little envious. She hadn't known that Vanessa and her grandmother had spent so much time together. It kind of bothered her.

"Well, are we going to go back?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice steady, "This summer or something? To Hampton?"

Everly's gaze flicked over to the brunette and she patted Kit's arm again, "That's four plane tickets, round trip…" she shook her head, clearly upset, "Maybe next year. Your grandma will understand."

Kit couldn't even look at her mother and she stood up, "Okay."

Everly sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Kit, don't be mad. We'll still do something special for her. We always do."

"I'm not," Kit said. She chewed on her lip, "I promise, I'm not mad and I know she'll understand."

"Then why are you leaving?" Everly whined, patting the spot Kit abandoned, "Come sit with me."

"I have stuff to work on," Kit said flatly, "I told you, I'm playing for Willa's auditions and it needs to be perfect. I might meld two pieces together—do a mashup or something," she shrugged, "We're still working out the details."

"Okay," Everly said with a sad smile, "I'll be here then."

"I'll come back," Kit promised.

She couldn't get out of her parents' bedroom fast enough and she walked quickly to her room, shutting the door and clicking the lock into place. Tears immediately spilled down her cheeks as her face crumpled and she gasped in short pants, trying to remain quiet to avoid being overheard.

It felt like her heart was breaking and she briefly recalled the five stages of grief and loss, something she had heard about and read about constantly when her grandmother had died. They had never made any sense to her and they still failed to—she didn't think she'd ever stop grieving the loss of her grandmother.

Her hand came up to rub her locket and she could feel the engravings of the rose flower against her hand, the texture a little rough from rust that had started to appear at the very edges.

After staying pressed against her door and managing to calm herself, she furiously wiped her tears and went forward, closing the curtains on her window and locking it. She wanted to be alone.

Still sniffling, she gently picked up her violin case from the corner of her room and a large bundle of sheet music, placing them both on the bed and taking a seat. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat, reaching for the water bottle on her bedside table.

She took a long drink from it, then placed it back where it belonged, unlatching the metal catches on her violin case, flipping it open.

"Okay," she said to herself, gazing at the string instrument, "It's time to focus."

She took one of her fingers and rubbed at one of the visible scratches on the violin as if it would disappear. Despite the appearance, the scratch was smooth and shiny, having been buffed out.

Turning her attention to the sheet music, she began to shuffle through the books and papers and music she had written out. She really did need to find a new teacher and recently had begun to work on more advanced pieces. Specifically, Praeludium and Allegro. She had been having a lot of trouble with the double stops, fast notes and different bow strokes.

Heaving out a loud sigh, she raked a hand through her hair, wincing when her fingers got caught on a tangle. She pulled it apart and lowered it back down to her lip, eyeing her violin for a moment.

She was about to take her bow out if its case, but stopped when there was a small knock on her door that was the entrance to her and Indigo's shared bathroom.

"Come in, sweetheart," she called.

Indigo poked her head through the door, then walked into the room, holding a few pieces of clothing.

"What's up?" Kit asked, she closed her violin case and pushed her sheet music aside. She patted the spot next to her, "Come sit."

Indigo hopped up on the bed, dropping the clothing in Kit's lap. She opened her mouth to say something, then got a good look at Kit's face, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Kit insisted, "I'm fine, just working on stuff. What up?" she asked again.

Indigo eyed her sister, then nodded, "Okay, well, you know how you always recycle your clothes?"

" _Up_ cycle," Kit corrected, "Yes, what about it?"

"Well, can you do it with mine, please?" Indigo asked, "I wanted to wear these," she held out the first item of clothing, which was a pair of cotton candy pink jeans with a lace trim over the pockets.

The knees were frayed as well as the bottoms. There were stains all over them and Kit frowned deeply at the condition, placing them down to look at the other clothing.

There was a dress with a dark denim bodice with a lace pink floral pocket and a lace coral pink skirt with a floral pattern.

"There's buttons missing," Indigo pointed to the bodice, "Two of them and there's a hole somewhere."

"You get new clothes all the time," Kit reminded her, "You and mommy went shopping a couple weeks ago. Why are these so dirty?"

"I played in the sandbox at recess," Indigo explained, gesturing to the jeans. She picked up a long-sleeved white shirt plastered with daisies, "And I got this dirty with spaghetti sauce. Mommy told me to throw it away, but I only got to wear it once."

"Okay…" Kit drawled out. Her eyes bugged out at the next item of clothing, "Indi, this is _brand new_! There's still a tag on it."

It was a button-up sesame colored short-sleeved safari dress with a matching sash belt tied into a bow and a rounded collar.

"Why haven't you ever worn this?" Kit demanded. The dress was smooth and soft in her hands, "It's so pretty!"

"It's boring," Indigo whined, "But mommy says I need a nice dress. Can't you make it better with the old clothes? You do them with yours."

Kit tilted her head to the side, observing the garment. She understood Indigo's request, but all of Kit's clothes were old. They had been her mom's or her grandmother's. Even as a child she had worn their clothes. She had no choice but to fix them or risk walking around with holes that would have showed off her underwear or something.

"Well, mommy's right," she started, "You _do_ need a nice dress and I don't think I can make it look nice with the old clothes," she glanced over when Indigo groaned, placing a hand on her shoulder, "But…I'll try my best to fix your old clothes and maybe I can add a patch or something to the dress. It's brand new, Indi. I'm not going to cut it up and sew a bunch of stuff into it."

Indigo's shoulders slumped as she sulked, "…Okay," she said. She leaned against Kit, "Thank you."

Kit bent her head to kiss the top of Indigo's, "You're welcome. Perk up, buttercup. You start soccer next week. Aren't you excited?"

There was no Youth Soccer Club in Forks, the closest one being in Port Angeles. It wasn't too far, but it would clash with Everly and Blake's work schedule, so that was still being worked out, but Indigo was registered for the proper age-division. From Kit's understanding, it was co-ed, but they would be split into teams based on their gender.

"I'm so excited!" Indigo raved, bouncing on the bed, "Melody's going to join and you'll come too, won't you? Right?"

"Of course," Kit agreed immediately, "I'll be there if you want me there."

"Okay," Indigo was easily satisfied by that, then glanced over at Kit's violin case, "Oh, was I bothering you?"

"You never bother me!" Kit replied, astonished that Indigo would ever say something like that, "I was about to practice for Willa's audition. We haven't even gone over what song she's going to do, yet."

"Oh," Indigo replied, not seeming too interested, "Okay. Well, I'm going to go finish my book and then call Melody."

Disappointment danced in Kit's eyes as her sister hopped down from her bed and Indigo didn't even look back as she exited the way she came.

' _She's growing up so fast_ ,' Kit thought, sad at the fact.

She would admit that there was a large part of her that missed the "old days" when her parents had to work all the time and it was just her spending time with her sister. While she had now gotten very used to it, there was always a small twinge in her heart when Indigo referred to Everly as her mother and not Kit.

"Uggggh!" Kit groaned, falling onto her back.

She sat like that for awhile, lost in her thoughts and mulling over everything that had happened since coming to Forks. Her thoughts lingered a bit on Victoria. She was terrified of the catlike vampire coming back and shuddered at the memory of Victoria lunging for her.

Digging the heels of her hands into her eyes, Kit let out a loud, heavy sigh and straightened up, her hands falling into her lap with a light smack.

As though it were made out of glass, she took the bow gently out of its case and used the screw at the end to tighten and loosen the hairs until she was satisfied.

She took the dark orange rosin out of its compartment and ran it up and down the bow, repeatedly checking to make sure it stuck to the soft bow hairs.

Content with the state of her bow, Kit got up to fetch her rickety music stand, righting the sheet music and reaching behind her to pick up her instrument.

"Okay, Kit," she murmured to herself, "It's seriously time to focus."

* * *

Upon getting out of her car at school, Kit was greeted by a pencil hitting the back of her head.

Startled, she turned and saw Ben, Angela, Mike, Tyler, Eric, Austin and a few other upper classmen. lounging around Tyler's car.

"Yo, Kit!" Tyler called, raising a hand, "Come over here."

Anxiety welled up inside of her and she rubbed her suddenly clammy hands on her skirt. It was the pink one that she had found in the attic, along with a short-sleeved mint turtleneck that exposed the few freckles dotting her arms. She wore a mint green headband in her hair and simple hot pink heels she had found in the back of her mother's closet. The straps were beat up, but they could pass.

Comforted by Angela and Ben's presence, she decided to approach the group, greeting them with a small smile.

"Good morning," she said, "How are you?"

Tyler glared at Mike, "In trouble. We need your help with something."

"Me?" Kit asked, surprised, "What do you need my help for?"

"Mike can't draw for shit," Austin said, "But we heard you can."

Kit was briefly appalled by the language, but she nodded, shifting her weight.

Angela spoke shyly, "Prom's coming up in May. We know it's still technically March, but we need to put up flyers or some kind of poster."

"Poster," Ben chipped in, his arm around Angela's waist, "We can do one big one and put it up in the cafeteria."

"See, look here," Mike beckoned her closer and Kit complied, but still kept a bit of distance between them.

"We'd write prom on the top," he made a mark with his pencil on a piece of printer paper, "Then the date here, how much tickets are going to be and then draw some kind of frou-frou prom decorations."

"Oh," Kit said. That was simple enough, "I can do that. Make it all fancy. Is there a theme?"

"No," Eric frowned at her like the idea was absurd, "Just formal, you know?"

No, Kit didn't know. For the year and a half she had been at her old high school, there had always been a theme when not only did they have senior prom, but junior prom. There was always a vote amongst the two classes and the ASB on the theme and where the prom would be held as well as the after party.

"Okay," she responded, "I'll figure something out."

"You only need to do the drawings," Austin clarified, "And we'll handle the rest."

"Great," she responded, "Let me know when you need me, then," she tilted her head to the side, "How did you know I could draw?"

"I told them!"

Kit jumped ten feet in the air, violently startled by the snotty voice that was falsely chipper.

"Hey, Laur," Tyler greeted with a warm smile.

Kit's nails dug into her palms and she felt extremely self-conscious standing there in not only a skirt, but short-sleeves.

"She's great," Jessica said, pointing to Kit, "She's always doodling in Spanish. You know, her dad's a photographer too."

Mike's eyes were wide and he failed to notice Kit's discomfort, "Oh, cool! If we hired him, would he take pictures at prom?"

Words stuck in her throat, Kit nodded.

"Kit's got all the hookups, these days," Ashley chimed snickering.

"Cool, Kit," Eric patted her on the shoulder, "Let us know."

Kit cleared her throat and in a small voice, she said, "Yes, I-I—um, I'll ask him, tonight," she took a step back, "I should go. Emme-

"Have you lost weight?" Lauren blurted, looking Kit up and down with her fishy eyes.

Kit's eyes widened drastically, embarrassed that Lauren would ask something like that in front of all these people, she promptly shook her head, hair flying.

"N-no," she stuttered, "I'm…the same," she finished awkwardly.

"Well, you look _fantastic_ ," Lauren gushed.

Kit blinked and the smallest of creases appeared on her forehead.

"Thanks," was all she managed to say, taking another step back, "Um, see you later."

She sighed heavily and left after that, bringing her thumbnail to her mouth. She wanted to cry. As weird as it sounded, Lauren and her clique being nice to her like that was almost worse than the name-calling.

' _It's going to be a long_ , _long day_ ,' she thought, already exhausted. It had been a rough night, kept up with thoughts that consisted of her grandmother.

However, she forced a small smile when she saw Emmett and bounced forward to hug him, a little breathless when he picked her up. She hadn't seen him the past couple nights.

"Hey, babe," he greeted her, setting her back on the ground. He glanced past Kit, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she said. She rubbed the pad of her thumb over Emmett's hand when his grip tightened, "I'm really tired. I've been busy."

Emmett, by now, knew not to push the issue and forced himself to leave it be. Usually, he wasn't someone who worried about things that were out of his control, but this was Kit, his mate. That made things different. Her safety and well-being came first and he was trying his best to be there for her without making things worse. By now, he knew how small towns worked.

Seeing that Kit was staring at him expectantly, he asked, "Yeah? Busy with what?"

"Homework and stuff," Kit replied. She turned her head and waved at Alice as well as Bella, who stood close to Edward, the bronze-haired vampire refusing to let the pale girl out of his sight since returning from Phoenix. Bella didn't seem to mind, but Kit hadn't really seen the other brunette since Spring Break ended.

As her and Emmett began walking, she yawned, "Will you remind me to make a to-do list, later?"

"Yeah," Emmett said, "No problem."

Kit stepped closer to him, chucking when he released her hand to wrap an arm around her shoulders and kiss the top of her head, "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"I appreciate you, baby," Emmett replied smoothly.

Kit smirked and looked up at him, "I appreciate you too," another thought struck her, "Hey, what do you know about soccer?"

Emmett snorted, "Do you _know_ who you're talking too? It's not my _favorite_ sport, but my family and I have played a couple times. Why?"

"Believe it or not, Indigo's starting soccer next week," Kit told him, "I'm pretty sure she's breaking the Algren stereotype," she laughed, "All I know, is that there are two teams, you kick the ball into the goalpost-

"Different sport, goal net," Emmett corrected.

"And then someone wins," Kit finished, ignoring the correction.

Emmett laughed and the loud, boisterous sound drew stares, but he easily ignored them, only having eyes for Kit.

"Wow, okay," he shook his head, amused, "We'll work on that."

Kit huffed at him and she slowed her pace as they neared the building for her first period. They still had some time left. The bell had yet to ring.

"I think the only time I came close to playing an actual sport outside of school was with you," she told him, teasing, "And even then I got confused."

"Hey, even vampire baseball has rules," Emmett pointed out quietly. He leaned his forehead against hers, "Wait until you see vampire bowling."

"Looking forward to it," Kit said, glancing up when the bell rang. She looked back to Emmett who had pulled away, "I'll see you at lunch?"

"Mhm," Emmett nodded, leaning down to give her a chaste kiss, "See you later."

Kit bit her lip through a smile, "Have a nice day," she turned and headed into the building, biting her lip again when her stomach growled.

She wrapped her arms around herself, adjusting the hold on her school satchel. She hadn't eaten dinner the night before and barely touched her breakfast. Her parents had questioned her on her lack of appetite, but Kit had assured them that she was fine, just stressed.

And that was true. She felt like she had a lot to do and was losing her mind over Willa's auditions. What if she messed up? If she messed up, Willa would mess up and that could possibly blow the latter's chance of getting into summer intensives. It was a lot of pressure for both of them and Kit wasn't sure if there was enough time; only Willa was confident that it was.

Kit shook herself out of her thoughts and took a seat at her desk where there was already a textbook. She pulled out the correct colored notebook and a freshly sharpened pencil.

She stiffened when Katie took her assigned seat—she always did. It was almost routine. Katie would take her seat, then as if Lauren or whoever decided to text Kit, was aware of that fact, Kit's phone would vibrate.

She had a hard time describing the new feeling she got when she read the text messages. They didn't affect her the way they used too, she didn't cry anymore. Lousy? Alone? Numb? Pathetic? Something of the sort.

"Okay, class, settle down," Mr. Jefferson called attention, beginning to pass out worksheets, "Today's going to be a revisit to the World War I Peace Process. You can use your textbooks. Read each question and circle either yes or no, the appropriate key terms, documents, and effects. I'll turn on some music, but _no_ talking. When you're finished, flip your paper over and work on something else. Different classwork is all right."

Kit pulled the worksheet closer to her, replacing her notebook into her satchel to make more room for the textbook. She skimmed over the Table of Contents, then flipped open to the correct page.

It was hard to concentrate and she found that her mind was constantly going a million miles per minute. Maybe if she finished her worksheet on time, she would work on that to-do list.

The worksheet was harder than she thought it would be and with her mind continuously wandering off, it took her a lot longer to finish it, especially when she had to skip over questions and go back to them. There was five minutes of class remaining when she closed her textbook with a soft exhale, her fingers aching with how hard she had gripped her pencil.

When the bell rang, Kit scrunched up her nose in distaste. Besides gym, Algebra 2 was her most difficult class. If it wasn't for Emmett spending his time tutoring her (and sometimes, just telling her the answer), and occasionally doing the work with Willa, she was sure that she would fail.

She waited until most of the students had exited the classroom before she got up from her desk, worksheet in hand to place it on Mr. Jefferson's desk.

"Thank you, Miss Algren," Mr. Jefferson said, straightening out the papers, "Would you mind staying a moment?"

' _Oh_ , _gosh_ …' Kit thought, dread filling her.

"No, Sir," she replied with a polite smile.

Mr. Jefferson got up and went to the door. He started to close it and left it open a crack, something the teachers were all required to do if they were alone with students of the opposite sex.

"It will only take a moment and I'll write you a pass," he assured, going back to his desk, "Miss Algren, are you aware that you are one of my best students?"

One of his best students? Both surprised and very proud of herself, Kit shook her head, "No, Sir."

"You are," Mr. Jefferson cleared his throat, "Not only grade wise, but you've got great enthusiasm. Lately, I've noticed that's been dwelling. Both things."

"Pardon me?" Kit asked, but she had heard him perfectly, "My grade is falling?"

"You're at a 'B', now," Mr. Jefferson said, "Which isn't bad, still passing, but you used to have an 'A', highest in this period. You're grade is lowered from your lack of participation. You hardly raise your hand and you don't speak up in discussions. Some of your other teachers have noticed this same change."

Kit shifted her weight to her right foot. She was in no position to deny what her teacher was saying. She purposely didn't raise her hand or speak up in discussions even when she was 110% sure that she knew the answer.

"I want to make it clear that not participating verbally won't necessarily drop your grade to a failing percentage," Mr. Jefferson continued, "But I myself, and the rest of your teachers, are very aware that you can do better."

"Yes, Sir," Kit mumbled, "My apologies."

"Is there something going on?" he asked, tone causal and eyes calm, "Something your teachers and I should be aware of? Stuff at home or…?" he shook his head and gestured to Kit.

Kit scratched her head. She felt like this conversation was a little personal, but perhaps that was something that came with attending a very small school—teachers paid more attention. Still, even with that thought, Kit couldn't fathom why her teachers would care.

"No, nothing is going on," Kit responded, forcing cheer in her tone as Mr. Jefferson fished for a red pen in a pencil cup, "I just have a lot on my mind, is all. Now that I'm aware, I'll do better."

"Excellent," Mr. Jefferson scribbled on a sticky note, handing it to Kit, "That will be all, Miss Algren. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kit said. Opening the door. There were a few students waiting, "Excuse me," she mumbled apologetically, "Sorry. Excuse me."

Her steps on the way to her next class were hurried. She feared the embarrassment of walking into class late and having everyone stare at her.

She made it to Algebra just as the bell rang and with the teacher giving a disapproving look, Kit handed over the pass, then hurried to her desk, making sure to keep her head down. She could feel Willa's eyes on her, but didn't turn around as the class began. They would have time to talk afterward; and Willa would definitely question Kit's late entrance.

Kit hadn't realized that she had spaced out, until a book landed on her desk, causing her to gasp.

"Willa!" she hissed, placing a hand over her heart, "What are you doing?"

"What are _you_ doing?" Willa countered, "We're always partners."

Looking away from Willa, Kit glanced at the whiteboard. There was nothing written. She looked at the teacher, then gave up, turning back to Willa who had pushed the desk beside Kit's, much closer.

"Er…" Kit wheedled, "What exactly are we working on?"

"Word problem packet," Willa explained shortly, "Why did you come in late?"

"I had to talk about my grade with Mr. Jefferson," Kit said, taking out a pencil, "Nothing too riveting."

"Okay," Willa said, dropping it, "Are we still on for the sleepover?"

"Yes!" Kit said, brightening up, "We are. You still need-

"I hope you two ladies are conversing about math," Mr. Varner's shadow appeared over their conjoined desks and he wasn't asking a question.

"I was explaining the directions," Willa answered while Kit's cheeks pinked.

"Mhm," Mr. Varner hummed sarcastically, "Get to work. This is due, tomorrow."

"Yes, Sir," Kit said firmly, while nodding, "It will get done."

"It better," Mr. Varner gave a curt nod, still eyeing them while he walked off to check on another pair of partners.

As soon as his gaze left their desks, Kit and Willa glanced at each other, then burst into quiet giggles.


	25. You See The Struggle Flood The Skin

Emmett came to a halt at the side of Kit's house, expertly jumping up and clinging to the side of the house. He winced when he landed with a little more force than necessary and pushed open Kit's window, climbing silently into her bedroom.

He could hear Kit. She was in the bathroom, humming to herself as she did whatever she needed to do, and briefly Emmett debated leaving for a minute, then coming back when Kit was settled in bed. He didn't want to frighten her, but instead he moved away from the window, further into the bedroom, a look of disgust on his face.

Kit's room reeked.

The scent was foul and plastic-like. It smelled like something that should have burned his nose, but didn't.

His eyes swept the room. He could see every single microscopic detail. Every color and spectrum of light. He could count the dust mites in the air and every stitch in Kit's carpet if he wanted too. He could see that her music stand had been moved a quarter of an inch from where it had been the last time he had been in her room. There was some paper, sheet music, books and pencils on her bed from whatever Kit had been working on. Besides that clutter, the bedroom was spotless as she usually kept it.

There was nothing drastically different about the setup of Kit's room and he walked forward, sniffing to try and place where the smell was coming from. Her dresser.

He walked closer and the smell intensified. He was suddenly thankful that breathing wasn't necessary.

He stopped when he reached the furniture and glanced at the bathroom door. Would this count as an invasion of privacy? Was this justified?

' _Oh well_ ,' he thought, pulling open the drawer.

"Thank, God," he breathed when he spotted all the folded shirts. Part of him would have felt bad if he had to go through Kit's underwear drawer.

Hesitantly, he sniffed again and riffled through the drawer, pulling up shirt after shirt until his hand felt something that was definitely not a shirt.

It was a napkin and there was something folded inside. He pulled the edges back and his mouth fell open. He even stumbled back a couple, shocked steps and his head whipped around to the door as if he could see Kit through it. Only, X-Ray vision didn't come with the whole vampire thing.

Blinking and shaking his head, Emmett turned his attention back to the napkin, opening it up even further.

It was a sandwich. At least, it had been. The foul smell was coming from the bright fuzzy blue mold that was starting to grow both on the bread and from the inside of the sandwich. It was completely spoiled.

"Kit's hiding food…" Emmett whispered, needing to hear it in order to believe it.

Why was she hiding food? He couldn't comprehend this. He was aware that she didn't like eating in front of people, but he hadn't really counted Kit's family as those kind of "people". He had figured her anxiety surfaced at school and around strangers.

Then again, maybe that wasn't it. When Carlisle had inquired about Kit's eating habits, Alice had said Kit was eating perfectly fine when she was alone, but _was_ Kit starving herself? Did she have some kind of serious food issue? Was she still trying to lose weight? She was already petite, she didn't need to lose weight, didn't Kit understand that!?

The sound of the bathroom door opening startled Emmett so hard that he almost cried out. Faster than lightening, the sandwich was folded back into its napkin and placed in the drawer. It was closed and he was sitting, perfectly straight on the bed before the door opened fully.

"Oh," Kit gasped slightly, clearly having not expected to see him there. She recovered quickly and smiled, "Hey, you."

"Hi," Emmett looked her up and down. She was wearing bright yellow pajama pants and a matching button-up shirt with long sleeves. She had the clothes she had worn that day bundled up and he watched her toss them into the hamper.

"Are you okay?" Kit asked, noticing the intense way he eyed her. She padded over to him and began to clean up the mess on her bed, "What's wrong?"

Emmett flashed an innocent smile,"Nothing! Carlisle beat me in chess before I came over. You know that I'm a sore loser, baby."

Kit giggled and looked over her shoulder at him, "Yes, I remember."

Emmett made a sound of acknowledgment and watched Kit hurry around her room to put her stuff away. He was holding his breath but moving his shoulders and Kit didn't look to be affected by the smell. Though it was foul, he was more worried about her than anything.

He scooted over on the bed to make room for Kit. They both barely fit on the mattress, but made do.

Kit snuggled up close to him and he kissed the top of her head, feeling her body relax.

"Hey, Emmett?" she asked timidly.

"Mhm?" he hummed.

He looked down just in time to see her bite her lip and frown.

"Can I asked you something?" her voice was very quiet, "About…Victoria?"

Emmett stiffened and rage pulsed through him at the thought of the female. He took a deep breath, wincing when he tasted the mold in the air.

"She's not going to get you or your family, Kit," he told her, "I promise. We're keeping an eye out, especially Jazz. He's good at that stuff. There's been no plane tickets or car rentals."

Kit shook her head, "No. I mean, I'm worried about that, but that's not my question. I—what's going to happen to her?"

His bright gold eyes colored in confusion, "We talked about this," he said slowly, "About how vampires…er… _die_."

"No, I know," Kit sighed impatiently, "I meant, Victoria and James are mates or I guess…were. So what happens to Victoria now that James is…dead?"

Emmett hesitated. He knew what Kit was really asking and he always hesitated when it came to the topic of him and Kit being mates. He always brushed it off and promised to tell her later. He really was going to tell her later, but he wasn't sure precisely when later was.

He prided himself on his blunt honesty, but with Kit, he tended to think a little more.

After a stretch of silence, he said, "I…don't know what to say."

He felt Kit nod slowly against him and he supposed that was her answer.

"I see," she muttered, "…That's so sad. I feel bad for her."

"You know she tried to kill you," Emmett blurted, "She wants to kill you and she'll stop at nothing until she succeeds."

Ah, there was that blunt honesty.

"I'm aware," Kit whispered, shuddering, "I just—I don't know. She's all alone."

' _Leave it to Kit to feel bad for someone plotting to drain her dry_ ,' Emmett thought. Briefly, he wondered if he knew her as well as he thought he did.

"There are a lot of nomadic vampires," he pointed out. He hoped that would make her feel better, though that wasn't how it worked, "Why are you so concerned about her?" he placed his free hand on her hip, "What's going on?"

"Well, it's sad and now she's going to be alone…no one deserves a fate like that...and I guess—I'm still trying to understand some things," Kit answered his question, her voice soft, "I'm trying to understand why James was like that. Peter and Charlotte drink human blood and they're—why are they so different than Victoria and James?"

"Psychology," Emmett said simply, "We all still have our individual characteristics. Our interests, our dislikes, our personality. All of that with our natural behavior and needs as a human are frozen with us during the transformation, but they're heightened as well. Like our senses."

"Ahhh," Kit breathed, "Okay, yes, now I get it. So, that's where Esme and Carlisle get-

"—they're gifts from?" Emmett finished, "Yeah, exactly. Not every vampire is the same."

"I'm sorry!" she uttered in quick apology. The bed shifted as she looked at him, "I didn't mean to offend you."

Emmett forced himself to laugh quietly, fearful of waking Kit's parents.

"You didn't, babe," he said, "I don't expect you to remember every single detail of being a vampire. Our memories are perfect, but it took me forever to get the hang of it."

"Oh," Kit said.

Her tone was bland and Emmett could tell there was still a heavy weight on her mind. Maybe she was still thinking about Victoria. Not only that, but each time he saw her that day she was yawning. She was probably exhausted.

"Sleep," he told her.

"Bossy," Kit teased, closing her eyes. She pulled the blanket up further, "I'm about too."

When Kit tilted her face up, Emmett gave her chaste kiss, smiling warmly at her when he pulled away.

"Goodnight," he said, "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied, turning over on her other side, "Goodnight."

It took ten minutes for Kit's breath to even out and when it did, he sighed, scrubbing his free hand over his childlike face. Ugh, Victoria and should he have said something about the sandwich? No, he didn't want to humiliate her and he knew how she felt about confrontation. Plus, he had technically snooped through her drawers and while he knew it was wrong, he had done it anyway. Part of him felt terrible and guilty, the other part justified his actions.

He sighed again and leaned his head back against the cushion headboard.

' _She_ _ **has**_ _to be eating_ ,' he thought, glimpsing at Kit, ' _Or she'd get low blood sugar and lately_ , _that's been fine_.'

He looked down again when Kit made a groaning sound and shifted in her sleep, tossing and turning until she settled down, facing him.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger before he pulled away. He moved his gaze from her face, knowing how she felt about him watching her sleep.

The sudden sound of small footsteps caused him to stiffen and he gently moved Kit's position, darting to hide in the shadows by Kit's closet. As flexible as he was, he doubted he could fit inside with his large, muscular frame.

The door to the bathroom creaked open and Indigo poked her head through, then shuffled forward, dressed in pink footy pajamas and a gray stuffed bunny with floppy ears tucked under her arm.

Emmett watched her get close to Kit and then she lifted a hand, shaking Kit gently.

"Kii-iii-ttty?" she asked between a yawn, "Kitty?"

"Mmm," Kit shifted in her sleep and her eyes cracked open, "Hey, sweetie," her voice was slurred with sleep, "Wha's the matter?"

Indigo's lower lip stuck out in a pout, "I had a bad dream. Can I sleep in here?"

Emmett saw Kit turn her head, probably looking for him and he felt a little bad that he had left her, but knew that he couldn't be caught in Kit's room.

"Of course," Kit breathed scooting over. She lazily patted the spot, "C'mere."

Indigo clambered into Kit's bed and Kit pulled Indigo as close as possible, causing Emmett to smile. He knew how much Indigo meant to Kit and he could tell their relationship was deeper than sisterhood.

"Thank you," Indigo whispered, laying her head on Kit's shoulder. She yawned again.

It wasn't long until the two were asleep and when it was all clear, Emmett zipped to the window and pushed it open, closing it once he was outside and jumped down.

Lost in the high of running, the run home was speedy, but of course he had taken some time to swing and jump from trees and he arrived at the front door in record time, picking out a few leaves from his curly hair.

While they had a high-tech security system in place, there was no reason to lock the door. There were no neighbors or anyone for miles and if it was another vampire or some other supernatural creature, a locked door wouldn't stop them from entering.

He walked through the door and Rosalie was the first to greet him. Sort of.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she demanded with a scowl and one hand placed on her shapely hip.

Emmett sauntered past her and plopped down onto one of the many chairs that occupied the space near the flatscreen TV, "I know this constantly comes as a shock to you, Rosie, but…" he paused for dramatic effect, "I. Live. Here."

Rosalie was not amused, but Alice giggled, coming to sit next to him. A second later, she moved to sit on Jasper's lap.

"Why aren't you with Kit?" she asked. She tilted her head, "Did something happen?"

' _Yup_ ,' he thought.

"No," he said, "Nothin'."

"Somethin'," Jasper replied, backing off when Emmett glared at him.

"She's just worried about Victoria," Emmett told his siblings, recalling the odd conversation, "That's all," he shrugged casually. He supposed that much was true. Kit was worried, only not in the way the others would think.

Rosalie hissed, "We killed Victoria's mate. She's not going to let that go. More trouble for us," she said, irritated under her breath, but everyone who was in the room heard her.

"It's not about us," Alice said gently, touching Rosalie's hand, "It's about keeping Kit and Bella safe."

Rosalie only scoffed in disgust and rolled her eyes, turning back to the magazine she had picked up.

"Whatever," she spat, flicking a piece of blonde hair from her face.

Emmett eyed Rosalie, but chose not to say anything, pressing his lips together. While he loved Rosalie more than he could express, he was getting sick of her catty comments and death glares towards Kit and Bella. If he was honest, he could understand her resentment for Bella—it was personal and while he didn't agree with it, Bella could make her own decisions. She was cool and very entertaining. He enjoyed seeing her and hoped Edward would bring her around more often.

But Kit? That, he failed to understand. Kit hadn't done anything wrong. Maybe he was just bias, but to his knowledge, Kit had never said or done anything to personally harm or offend Rosalie.

' _Kit would never hurt a fly_ ,' Emmett thought, ' _The only person she ever hurts is herself_.'

With an angry sound, he popped up out of his seat and darted up the stairs, ignoring the looks he got from his siblings. Carlisle had worked a 48-hour shift, but Emmett knew he was home. They weren't due for another hunt until next week. Earlier if someone—most likely Jasper—needed it. None of them really liked hunting alone.

Only he hesitated when he reached his father's room. He remembered the look on Kit's face when he told her he'd spoken to Carlisle. She had panicked and he apologized for not asking her.

' _But then she admitted she would have done the same thing_ ,' he argued.

With that, he burst into Carlisle and Esme's room without knocking.

"You need to talk to Kit soon," he blurted to Carlisle, "Because she's hiding food and you need to fix it!"

* * *

"So," Blake started, Friday morning, "You're going to pack…?"

"Uh-huh," Kit confirmed in her own drawl, passing her father a dripping wet plate.

"And Emmett's picking you up…?" Blake continued.

"Yes," she said, "And Willa's parents drive her to school. So, instead of them picking us all up at school, after dance, Jessica and Willa are going to drive to the school, pick me up, then we're all going to go to Willa's house and we're staying for the whole weekend. I'll be back Sunday."

Blake nodded, rubbing harshly at a spot on a drinking glass.

"And you're just going to tote around your clothes and Nero all day?" he asked.

Kit passed over a cereal bowl and answered, "No, Emmett's going to keep it in his trunk until after school and Willa said that Jessica and I could shower at her house. It's all worked out."

Blake seemed to accept that, "Very well. That all sounds okay."

"Here, I'll finish up," Everly said, coming to stand beside Kit, "Go make sure you have all your stuff."

Kit dried her hands, "Thanks, mom."

She left the kitchen and hurried upstairs to her room. Her leopard print bag was sitting open on her bed next to her violin. She had packed her pajamas, a couple pair of high-waisted jeans, her undergarments, her toiletries, her phone charger. She planned to wear the black Mary Jane heels that she already donned, and…

"I need one more shirt," she mumbled, turning to face her dresser, "The pink one."

As soon as she opened her dresser, the smell hit her full force. It was almost sickly sweet and musty at the same time. It irritated her nose and caused her to sniffle as a hand came up to cover her nose, a frown on her face.

Her mouth fell open then, realization dawning upon her. Her eyes moved to both doors in her room and she rushed to the main one, hurrying to close it and wincing when it squeaked.

As soon as it clicked shut, she rushed back to her dresser drawer. When she spotted the pink shirt, she placed it aside and lifted shirt after shirt, until she found what she was looking for.

She didn't realize that she had been holding her breath until her lungs burned and she turned away from what was in her hands to inhale shakily.

When she turned back, she pulled apart the napkin and winced at the sight. No wonder the inside of her nose had been so itchy lately. It was from the mold growing on the old grilled sandwich. While she could clearly remember the day that she had hidden it, she couldn't believe it had slipped her mind.

She shook her head, disgusted with herself. She couldn't dwell on the feeling for long due to the knock on her door.

Panicking, she wrapped up the sandwich shoved it back into her drawer. She could still smell it, but the air freshener was all the way in the bathroom, under the sink and she didn't have any perfume.

"I-I'm changing my shirt," she called, "I got it all wet."

" _Emmett's here_ ," Blake said through the door.

"Okay," Kit replied, "I'll be down in a minute. Hey, daddy? Could you get me a plastic ziploc bag from the kitchen?"

" _No problem_ , _Kit Kat_."

As soon as his footsteps faded, Kit placed her arms atop the dresser, resting her forehead against them.

"Oh my gosh…" she breathed, lifting her head. She could feel her heart racing and now she needed to change.

Scurrying over to her closet, she moved a few hangers aside and picked out a dress. She didn't have time to pick out a whole other outfit.

It was a turquoise blue cotton dress with a folksy black floral print and it would match her shoes.

As fast as she could, she yanked off her skirt and shirt, pulling the dress over her head and stumbling over to her mirror as she tried to figure out the correct holes.

" _Here you go_ , _Kit Kat_ ," came Blake's voice from outside her door, " _Hurry_ , _you're going to be late_."

"I'm coming!" Kit practically yelled, voice slightly muffled, "In a minute."

Blake said something else, but Kit failed to hear him, due to her struggling to get dressed. She finally pulled it over her head, chest heaving with the effort. She adjusted the full circle skirt and the bib & button detail at the neckline, smoothing down her hair that had been ruffled.

Her eyes trailed down her reflection and she chewed the inside of her cheek, perking up in slight alarm.

She went back to her closet and slipped on a black long-sleeved tie front shrug and went to go pick up the bag that her father had slid under the door.

She reopened her dresser and picked up the sandwich, dropping it inside the bag and held her breath. She squeezed all the air out and zipped it closed.

She didn't want to leave it in her room any longer and couldn't throw it away here nor at Willa's house. That was completely unacceptable behavior.

' _School_ ,' she thought, the bathroom flashing through her mind, ' _The trashcans in there are huge_.'

With her mind made up and knowing that she was keeping Emmett waiting, she folded the ziploc bag as much as she could and placed it carefully into one of the front pockets in her satchel. She didn't keep anything in there, so there was no reason the sandwich would be disturbed or fall out.

Now that that was taken care of, she tossed the pink shirt into her carry-on bag as well as some sheet music, then zipped it up, double-checking that she had everything that she would need for the two day sleepover.

She shouldered her school satchel, her violin in one hand and her sleepover bag in the other. She left her room and was impressed at the way she managed to get down the stairs in six inch heels. Though as soon as she was spotted, Emmett went up the rest of the stairs to help.

"Here, let me," he took her violin case and her bag. He kissed her, "Good morning."

"Morning," Kit greeted with a smile, jumping off the last step.

"What took you so long?" Indigo asked, making a face.

"I was looking for my pink shirt and I couldn't find it," Kit explained, "That's all."

"In the top drawer of your dresser," Everly said, flummoxed, "That's where you put all your shirts."

Kit's smile was a bit tense, "That's where I found it, but it was all the way at the bottom," wanting to change the subject, she looked up at Emmett, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?"

"Not at all," Emmett said, "Ready to go?"

"Yes," she said bouncing on her toes. She went forward to hug her mother, "I'll see you all on Sunday and I'll make sure to call."

"Good," before pulling away, Everly slipped some money into Kit's hand, "In case you go anywhere or you need anything."

"Thanks, mom," Kit placed it into the bag on Emmett's arm, "I love you."

"I love you more," Everly replied.

Kit shook her head and went to hug her father, "Not possible."

Everly smiled, "Yes, possible."

Giggling, Kit kissed her father's cheek, "Bye, daddy."

"See you, Kit Kat," he said, "Have fun."

"I will," she knelt down to her sister, "Bye, sweetheart. Have a nice weekend. Do your homework."

"Okaaay," Indigo huffed, "I always do, don't I?"

"Yes, you do," Kit agreed, pecking her sister's forehead, "I'll see you Sunday," she went to Emmett's side and noticed that he had a fond look on his face, "Let's go."

"Bye, Emmett," Indigo said.

"See ya' 'round, kiddo," Emmett said warmly, "Goodbye, Everly, Blake."

Everly bounced on her toes, "Goodbye, honey. Take care of yourself."

With their farewells given, Kit let Emmett lead her to the car and she got into the passenger side while he put her things in the trunk.

She kept her satchel tucked behind her feet, looking up with large eyes when she heard the door open.

"You're jumpy, today," Emmett pointed out.

"Am I?" Kit asked, her voice high-pitched, "I think I'm nervous about everything. Indigo's starting soccer, the end of the year is coming up and it's going to be my parents' birthday. I don't know…" she trailed off, tense and uncomfortable.

She had yet to tell Emmett about playing for Willa's auditions. While she knew he would be very supportive, she wanted to wait. Just in case she screwed up.

It was silent the rest of the way to school and Kit dug her teeth into her lip, then began to bite her nails. Throwing away a moldy sandwich shouldn't be making her so uneasy, but it was. She just wanted to get rid of it.

A small yelp left her mouth when she felt a hand on her thigh and she whipped her head around to see Emmett, his eyes wide and his hands held up with his palms facing upwards.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, "I—we're at school. I'm sorry."

Kit relaxed, a hand going to her heart, "No, no, you're fine. You didn't do anything wrong. I was spacing out. Honestly, I was a million miles away."

Emmett lowered his hands, still hesitant, "Yeah…I could tell."

"I'm fine, Em," Kit leaned as far as the seat belt would allow and pressed her lips firmly to his. She pulled away, "Lost in my thoughts."

"Anything I can help with?" Emmett queried, "I know you're doing the prom poster, Indigo's starting soccer, your parents' birthday," he ticked off on his fingers, "Homework. I can help you study?"

"You already do that," Kit said, still lost in thought, "And you said you'd teach me the rules of soccer. I'm just," she cut herself off with a sigh and pressed a hand to her forehead, "I need to get more organized," she forced a laugh.

Emmett rolled his eyes playfully, "I don't think that's possible."

"We'll see," Kit teased. She unbuckled her seat belt as more cars began to pull into the lot, "Come on."

"Kit, wait!"

Emmett's hand seized her wrist and Kit turned her head, then the rest of her body when she saw the look on his face. Perhaps she had imagined it, however, because now his face was a mask of calm and while searching his eyes, she saw the same cheerful youthfulness that she always saw.

"After the weekend, on Tuesday, can we talk?" Emmett asked.

"Talk?" Kit repeated as if the word was foreign to her, "Sure, but we can't talk now? There's still time."

"I thought we could talk after the weekend," Emmett said, "On Tuesday?"

Kit licked her lips, eyes full of suspicion, "That's oddly specific. Are—do you want to break up with me?" she asked sadly. She wouldn't be surprised.

"What!?" Emmett gasped, horrified that she had come to that conclusion, "God, no! No, Kit…" he took her face in his hands, "It's Spring, now and Monday's going to be a rare sunny day. That's all."

Color flooded Kit's cheeks, "Oh," she laughed breathlessly, "Now I feel stupid, I'm sorry. What did you want to talk about?"

"It's nothing bad, if that's what you're worried about." he said, flashing an easy grin, "Come on, we're going to be late."

She frowned at both the cryptic statement and the deflection. She still had the look on her face when Emmett opened her door.

"It's not something we should talk about at school," he informed her.

' _What_ , _vampires_?' she thought, accepting his hand, ' _That's never stopped him before_.'

Only she didn't press the issue any further and with her free hand, she picked at her nails nervously.

"It's okay, Kit," Emmett soothed her, "It's nothing to be worried about."

"Mhm," Kit lied, lips tugging into a brief smile, "I know."

* * *

Walking between Willa and Jessi, Kit laughed, loudly, covering her mouth with her hand. The trio was on their way to Jessi's car after school.

Jessica Saraf was a nice and beautiful girl. She was a few inches taller than Kit with thick shiny black hair that fell down her back past her waist. She had dark brown eyes and russet skin.

"It was _so_ mortifying!" Jessi raved, "God, I didn't even care if I placed."

"Oh my gosh," another giggle burst from Kit's lips, "Did the judges know it was a bra? They had to right? With the clasp in the back?"

"No," Jessi chortled, "I mean, they might have noticed, but, like, we sewed a bunch of purple patches to it and one in the back to make it less noticeable."

"That was the best day of my life," Willa said through a laugh, "And our teacher got upset at her too, but wouldn't risk pulling the number."

Jessi shook her head, "It wasn't even my fault and I cried for hours afterwards. But, hey, I wanted to dance…it was worth it and I'd do it again!"

"You would not!" Willa interjected.

"Okay, she's right," Jessi bumped Kit's shoulder, flicking her eyebrows up, "I would die first."

"Hey, you did it once," Kit said, "That's…" she shook her head, then laughed again, "Oh gosh, I don't even have the words."

Snickering, Jessi popped the trunk to her maroon 2001 Buick LeSabre, "Who would have words? It didn't look bad, but it was still embarrassing."

"The other costumes kind of looked like bras," Willa defended, handing Kit her violin to place in the trunk.

"Yeah," Jessi agreed. She jerked her head towards the front, "Willa, you're going to have to sit up front with me. I don't know the way."

"Sure," Willa agreed.

Kit climbed into the back behind the passenger seat, placing her satchel on the floor. She had ditched the moldy sandwich before lunch. Excusing herself to the bathroom. She had still been nervous from her and Emmett's earlier conversation, but he assured her that everything was going to be fine and while wary, she trusted him.

"So, Kit," Jessi started, "How long have you been playing the violin?"

"Since I was six," Kit answered proudly.

"You've always played?" Jessi asked, "For that long?"

"Um, I didn't always play," Kit answered, "I took a break when I was eight and sometimes I'd stop, then start again if I got too busy, but it's something I've always tried to stick with."

Curiosity clearly peaked, Jessi asked, "Why'd you take a break?"

"My sister was born," Kit said with a soft smile, "Both of my parents had to work, so I had to take care of her with my grandma and I couldn't go to my lessons without a way to get there and I couldn't play if it would wake her up."

"Take a left, then another left, then go straight," Willa instructed to Jessi.

"Aww, no way?" Jessi frowned at Kit in the rear view mirror, "That must have been awful."

"Eh," Kit waved it off, "I was a little upset—I didn't understand at first, but I loved taking care of my sister. Do you have any siblings?"

"Two," Jessi moaned, but she was smiling, "An older sister and a younger brother. I kind of get it. There were times I couldn't go to dance and I'd be furious. Once, I had to miss a competition and I blamed my siblings."

"Wow…" Kit breathed, shocked, "Do you guys get along?"

"My sister, yeah, but my brother gets on my last nerve," Jessi made a face, "He's eleven, going through that annoying phase...which is all the time. Do you and your sister get along?"

"Yes," Kit nodded, "She would annoy me when we were both younger, but it's fine, now."

Jessi glanced at Willa, "Are we leaving you out?"

"No," Willa said with a chuckle, glancing at a street sign, "Turn right up here and then go straight. It's the fourth house on the right, the one with the dark blue car in front."

"Are you sure we shouldn't have brought anything?" Kit inquired, a little worried.

"Yeah," Willa promised, "Everything's taken care of. We have a million blankets and pillows. Kit, my parents know that you're a vegetarian and we went grocery shopping the other day. We'll be sleeping in the living room."

"Cool," Jessi said simply, pulling into Willa's driveway.

It was a fair-sized house surrounded by bright green grass and trees; like the rest of Forks. Leading up to the dark brown front door, there were a number of concrete steps.

Jessi paused getting out of the car, "Should we bring our backpacks in or not?"

"Ugh," Willa groaned, "I have to bring mine in anyway, but I don't want to study," she twisted around to look at Kit, "Do you?"

Kit looked up, having been sending a text to her parents and grinned sheepishly, "No, not really."

Jessi was the first to get out of the car, "Then, we can leave ours in the trunk. It'll be less stuff to carry."

"Okay," Kit chirped and closed the car door, going around to the trunk, "Willa, _please_ tell me that you picked a song!"

"I did!" Willa exclaimed, her backpack slung over her shoulder, "I narrowed it down to two. _Entr'acte_ by Tchaikovsky or _God Help The Outcasts_ —I can't remember who that's by."

"Hey, those are both from Disney movies," Jessi pointed out.

Digging her house key out of her pocket, Willa nodded, "Yeah, I know. ' _Sleeping Beauty_ ' and the ' _Hunchback of Notre dame_ '. I'm stuck on the first one because I like that movie better, but Kit's the one that's going to play it."

Kit opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when Willa got the door open. She entered after Jessi where a harsh blast of warm air hit her. Her shoulders relaxed at the feeling and scent of incense.

They stood on a square of tiled floor and there were two small staircases, one going down to another floor and one going up to where Kit assumed to be the living room.

She copied Willa and Jessi in removing her shoes and took a pair of socks out from her bag once she set it down next to her violin. She thought it rude to walk around barefoot in someone's house.

She picked up her bag again and hurried to follow Jessi and Willa who were already climbing the stairs.

" _Maan_ , _ham yahaan hain_!" Willa shouted, climbing the six carpeted stairs. She turned to her friends and spoke in English, "My dad's at work."

"Hello, Kit, Jessi," Lahari greeted warmly. She showed her white teeth as she smiled, "How are you?"

"Good," Kit and Jessi answered in unison.

The living room was large and spacious with a flat screen TV and a brick fireplace. On the mantle were framed family photos and above that on the wall, was a huge framed photo of Sahar and Lahari on their wedding day.

Taking up the entire middle of the square living room and the dark beige carpet was a beautiful large red Agra rug. At the center of the rug was a small quatrefoil medallion of lotus flowers spewing forth, sparkling against the classic red ground. There were golden strap work vines brimming with palmettes of every shape and description and an ivory ground palmette border.

"You have a beautiful home," Kit complimented, her gaze lingering on a vase and a few decorations. There was a sleek brown table in the corner—the Korai's home altar.

"Ahh, thank you," Lahari smiled and followed Kit's gaze to a bronze statue. She pointed to it, "From India."

"It's pretty," Kit said, noticing the sparkle even under the dim light bulbs.

"We're going to go to my room and then downstairs," Willa said, her accent much thicker than Kit had ever heard it.

" _K_ _ya aap bhookhe hain_?" Lahari asked, gesturing towards Jessi and Kit.

"Are you hungry?" Willa translated.

Jessi shrugged, then shook her head, "No, thank you. I'm okay."

"Me too," Kit said, a little too quickly.

"Okay," Lahari nodded, "Pizza later?"

"Yes, please," Willa said, going to hug her mother, " _Bahut_."

"Mhm," Lahari hummed, releasing Willa.

Lahari returned to the kitchen where she was washing dishes and Kit followed Willa when she jerked her head for them to follow.

"This is the bathroom," she pointed to the first door on the left as they walked down the small hallway, "My parents' room," she pointed to the very last one, then turned right, "And here's mine."

Willa's room had a soft blue-gray carpet and one wall painted pink, the other three were painted light purple. Most of the space was taken up by a large mattress and a tall black vanity dresser by the door that was weighed down by a sparkling jewelry box, perfumes and all sorts of things. There were sliding closets opposite the bed and a few leotards strewn about and Kit spotted a couple pairs of old pointe shoes.

"Hey, what's this?" Jessi asked, pointing to a decoration on Willa's wall.

Willa looked over and smiled, "Aww, that's the Hindu Praying Goddess. My aunt got it for me when I was little. It's a lot heavier than it looks. There are some candles on my dresser," she pointed to them, "My aunt and uncle go to India for five months out of the year and they always bring us stuff back. My mom will go too for a couple of months out of the year."

"Do you ever go back?" Kit asked, genuinely curious.

Willa shook her head, "No, I've never been. It's hard to work out, especially when I have school; and I still dance during the summer."

"Oh," Jessi said, "I was going to say maybe you could go back when dance starts to cool down."

"But that never happens," Willa laughed, going to grab a pair of pointe shoes, "Jess, did you bring your shoes?"

Jessi bounced her bag on her shoulder, "I always do. Oh, we should warn Kit," she looked at the brunette.

"Warn me?" Kit asked, feeling a little gawky as she followed the two out of the room.

"Our feet," Willa made a face, "They're pretty in pointe shoes-

"—And that's about it," Jessi finished, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "They're gross."

Kit had no response to that and she picked up her violin, going down the second staircase, to what looked like another living room.

"Does someone live down here?" she wondered aloud, noticing the upturned mattress.

Willa nodded, "My uncle, but he's at work and won't be home until late, so we won't bother him," she led them to a room in the back, "And here…is where all the magic happens."

"Wow…" Jessi's eyes were wide with awe.

It was a simple, small and square room with a sleek hardwood floor, a stereo in the corner, the entire back wall taken up by a large shiny mirror. There was even a one person barre.

"This is so cool!" Kit said, briefly studying herself in the mirror.

"It was super easy to build," Willa said, speaking more to Jessi, "The floor was already here, but we bought the barre at a fitness store and ordered the mirror online. It's being held up by some kind of industrial hooks. Something like that."

"It was that simple?" Kit asked. She moved a piece of hair from her face, taking a look around the room once more.

"Yeah," Willa said. She glanced at Jessi, who was typing furiously on her flip phone, "You have been texting all day. Even at dance," she complained, "Do you have a secret boyfriend I don't know about?"

Kit chuckled and stepped a little closer.

"You wish," Jessi snorted, "I'm texting some stupid, annoying girl."

Kit's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline and she shared a look with Willa who looked a little put off as well.

"Is it someone from dance?" Willa asked, plopping down onto the floor. She began to remove her socks, "Anyone I know?"

"Noooo," Jessi drawled out, pressing another button on her phone. She closed it and put it into the pocket of her jeans, "It's some stuff with my friends, nothing big."

"Well, put it away," Willa demanded. She paused, then groaned dramatically, "I didn't change my clothes!" she wailed dramatically, "Uggggh!"

Kit laughed, in the process of opening her violin case, "You didn't know that you were still in your jeans?"

"I was listening to Jessi," Willa complained, "Now I have to untie my pointe shoes, take them off, go upstairs, get my leotard, put it on, come _back_ downstairs, put my pointe shoes _back_ on…"

By this time, Kit and Jessi had dissolved into a fit of giggles and Kit could feel her eyes tearing up.

"Y-you're s-such a…trooper," she stuttered through her laughter. She coughed, trying to calm down and wiped her eyes, "Why don't we pick a song first?"

With a heavy sigh, Willa straightened out her legs and pointed her feet, her arms behind her to support her weight.

"Yeah," she agreed, "Okay. Whatever I pick, we could find the sheet music online, right?"

"Probably," Kit said, straightening up. She went to Willa and extended up hand, "I'm so nervous."

"Me too," Jessi interjected, "I can't believe you're going to play for her."

"And she's going to go pro," Willa put in smugly, "Just like us, Jess. Come to Julliard with us."

"Yeah, okay," Jessi rolled her eyes, "That school would eat me alive. I have the worst technique known to man."

Willa gave Kit a look and shook her head, "That's not true," she said as if Jessi weren't standing right there, "She's a great dancer."

"I'm sure!" Kit said, smiling at the other girl, "You danced on stage in your bra. If that doesn't say 'great dancer' than I don't know what does."

"Oh, shut up, Kit!" Jessi shoved her playfully, "Ugh, I can't tell you anything!"

Kit laughed for what seemed like the millionth time that day, Willa and Jessi joining in.

"Okay," Willa said, clapping her hands, "We have work to do. I'm going to go change and Jessi, there's a bathroom down here. Kit, you do whatever you have to do and my mom will order pizza when we're ready."

"I hope we're not going to do this all weekend!" Jessi called after Willa.

Jessi got no answer and looked to Kit for some sort of direction. She looked her up and down, then tilted her head to the side.

"How do you get your dress all poofy like that?" her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh," Kit looked down in surprise, "I think there's wire or something in it that holds the shape. I just get dressed and it's like that."

"Don't your legs get cold?" Jessi said, impressed.

Kit extended one of her legs, "I don't think so. I don't really notice."

"Huh," Jessi made a move towards the door, "Well, I'm going to go change. Be right back."

"Okay," Kit replied, "I'll be here."

Jessi left and when Kit heard the door to the bathroom close, she turned around, having avoided looking at herself in the mirror.

She stepped closer, her socked feet slippery against the floor and she scrutinized her appearance. Her skin was back to it's warm ivory color, something she was quite happy about, tired of all the comments on how pale she looked.

Her eyes were trained on the bottom portion of her dress. She couldn't see her thighs, but she could see the cellulite on the back of her legs and wondered if they jiggled when she walked. She ran a hand over her stomach, able to feel the bulge through the tight bodice. She could see a little bit of her love handles. Had she lost _any_ weight? There was no scale at home.

She recalled Lauren's outcry from the school parking lot. Lauren had called Kit fat multiple times to her face. There was no reason for Lauren to draw attention to Kit's "weight loss". What did the blonde get out of that?

Her parents hadn't said anything, nor had Emmett or Willa. Only Lauren.

' _ **Have**_ _I lost weight_?' Kit thought, leaning in closer. She couldn't exactly pull up her dress and check. Her breasts looked the same size and so did her face. The only difference in her appearance was that her hair was a bit longer. She hadn't cut it since moving to Forks. Was she the same size she had always been?

"Stop, Kit," her voice was a near whisper. She turned from the mirror, "Stop being ridiculous. Who cares what you look like?"

' _Obviously you do_ ,' came the unwanted thought.

Kit shook her head furiously, chasing away the thought. She wasn't going to be like this.

Hearing footsteps approach, she looked up and smiled widely when she saw Willa, "Look how cute you are!"

Willa was dressed in pink tights and a simple black leotard. Her hair was pulled from her face into a tight ballet bun.

"I've never seen your hair up before!" Kit continued to gush, "Awww, you're adorable!"

"Oh my gosh, stop," Willa demanded, covering her cheeks with her hands, "I heard Jessi yelling at me earlier. We won't practice for long."

"Okay," Kit said, "Jessi's still in the bathroom."

"That fine," Willa went over to the stereo, "Come here. I'll play the songs for you."

Kit got up and obediently went over to Willa, still teasing her friend about how cute she looked.

This was going to be a fun weekend.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I've gotten a couple reviews that state people are confused with the story and I'm not sure why? If you find anything confusing, please don't hesitate to message me and I'll try my best to explain without giving away any spoilers.**

 **There are a few filler chapters if that's where the confusion is coming from, but I'm trying to portray this as realistically as you can get with a vampire story and Kit's life isn't all about vampires unlike how Bella was portrayed in the books/movies. Kit has a past, a family, friends, a life. She's a normal, awkward teenage girl in high school who obviously has her flaws and problems. I honestly can't stress that enough.**

 **So, I hope that clears some things up.**

 **~ FictionChic**


	26. I Need A Doctor, Call Me A Doctor

Emmett leaned against the silver car, arms folded across his chest and legs crossed at the feet, pose relaxed and casual as he waited patiently for Kit to come out of gym class. The weather had changed, so he had been able to attend school that day. Lucky him.

He wasn't sure how her day went, having only seen her when he picked up her and walked her to class. They had spent lunch together, like usual, and she hadn't bothered to take out her lunch. He wondered if she was still thinking about Victoria, but hadn't asked.

He looked over when Alice skipped to stand next to him. She craned her neck to look up at him with large, elfin eyes.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing," he said coolly.

Alice frowned, then peeked up at Jasper, who in turn arched a single eyebrow.

"Seriously?" Jasper asked, snorting.

Emmett rolled his eyes, "Do you _ever_ turn off?"

"Ooh, snappy," Alice scowled. She placed a small hand on Emmett's large arm, "Hey. What's wrong?"

"I'm thinking," he said. He shrugged a shoulder, "That's all. I didn't know it was a crime."

Alice opened her mouth, but Emmett was distracted by the sight of two girls approaching him, both flustered and dressed in gym uniforms.

" _That is him_ ," one of them hissed, a bit shorter than her friend.

" _Obviously_ , _don't you think_ _ **I**_ _know that_ , _ugh_ ," the other girl scoffed, flipping her ponytail, " _So_ , _go tell him_."

The taller girl's face colored even more, " _No_ , _you_!"

" _You go_!"

" _No way_!"

" _Mrs. Hammond_ _ **said**_ -

" _All right_ , _all right_ , _jeez_!"

Emmett was surprised his eyes didn't fall out with how hard he rolled them and he glanced at Alice and Jasper, but both look expertly unbothered, something he occasionally failed to do.

He kept his gaze somewhere else, but could see the girl clumsily stumble over to him out of his peripherals. Most humans didn't get too close to them, but this one did and he could see how visibly uncomfortable and shaken up she was. He could hear her teeth chattering and see the goosebumps break out on her body as well as the hair on her arms stand up. He wondered if she was going to wet her pants or burst into tears.

"Well, Emmett," Alice said, eyes darting to the girl, then back to him. She squeezed Jasper's hand, "I guess we'll see you at ho-

"Kit Algren collapsed!" the girl blurted.

He was sure he had heard her wrong. He was sure he had just made the words up—he hadn't. He repeated the girl's words in his head a few times in order to fully grasp them.

Kit had collapsed. His _mate_ had collapsed.

" _What_!?" he exclaimed, face paling.

The girl took some steps back, "…i-i-i-In g-gym."

Emmett stood there, mouth agape. It was tiny, little Alice, grabbing his hand and tugging that got him to move from his spot by the car.

"Come on," she said quietly, helping Emmett keep a normal, human pace. Jasper was beside her and somewhere in the back of Emmett's head, he swore he heard Rosalie cursing him out. He didn't have time for that shit.

Mentally, Emmett ran through the times he had seen Kit. She looked fine and smiled at him as she always did when he picked her up that morning. She didn't eat lunch, but that was nothing new. She had been a little nervous—this was the day Emmett wanted to "talk" to her and it wasn't anything bad. He just planned to bring up speaking with Carlisle again, then teach her the rules of soccer.

"She's in here," the shorter girl said, leading the trio of siblings into the gym. She looked back nervously, than took her friends hand, rushing off to the locker room at surprising speed.

The sight that greeted Emmett caused him to stop short.

Kit was on the floor, turned over on her back, face looking deathly pale in her unconscious state. Bella, Mrs. Hammond, and Angela were blotting Kit with ice packs, the zip-up hoodie she had worn for gym having been unzipped so that they could reach more skin. Ben was crouched near, clutching a bottle of opened Gatorade, Mike was glancing at a stopwatch and Edward lurked behind Bella, eyeing Mike with death stares.

Shit would have gotten primal if it wasn't for Jasper practically drowning Emmett in calm and he managed to turn his head when Coach Clapp spoke.

"How long, Newton?" Coach Clapp demanded.

"Two minutes and five seconds," Mike answered.

Coach Clapp nodded, "If it gets to three, phone an ambulance."

Finally, when he had a good head, Emmett went forward, falling to his knees beside Kit. His large presence startled a few people, Ben physically scooting away from him, but Bella looked up and smiled grimly at him.

"What happened!?" Emmett touched Kit gently. His skin was colder than the ice packs.

"Ah, Mr. Cullen…" Mrs. Hammond greeted uneasy, eyeing Jasper and Alice who went to converse quietly with Edward.

"It was right when we were done with gym," Bella started, pressing the ice pack firmly against Kit's neck, "We were talking and then she just fell over," her cheeks colored and she shrugged, "She didn't say she was feeling sick or anything and she was fine in Spanish."

Emmett nodded, his eyes sweeping desperately over Kit's face, then looking up at his siblings. Jasper still stood by Edward, but Alice wasn't there.

' _She's been hiding food_ ,' he thought at his brother, ' _I found a sandwich in her drawer_.'

Edward's response was the faintest lift of his chin. A nod. Yes, he knew, of course he knew. He had probably seen it in Kit's thoughts days ago.

Emmett, while focused on Kit's face as he stroked her forehead, couldn't help but be curious.

' _What else do you know_?' he wondered, glancing up.

He only looked for half of a second, but it was enough time for him to see Edward move his head somewhat towards Jasper. A shake of his head. He would keep Kit's secrets, Emmett knew. It was the least Edward tried to do for all of them as he involuntarily invaded their minds—learned everyone's secrets.

"Newton?" Coach Clapp asked again.

As Mike opened his mouth to recite the minutes, Kit inhaled a sharp, gasping sound, her eyes fluttering.

"There she is, there she is," Mrs. Hammond announced, blotting Kit's cheeks, "It's okay, Kit, you're all right. Can you hear me?"

If she could, Kit didn't acknowledge it and her head slowly rolled around to the other side. She didn't make a sound. She was dazed and confused, her large pupils indicating her loss of consciousness and she soon closed her eyes again, her face paling even more. She was shaking and Emmett could hear her heart pounding as her chest heaved. Her blood sugar was low and she was dehydrated. He could smell it in her blood.

Mrs. Hammond moved away from Kit's head, to feel for her pulse, "Can someone support her back for me?"

Mike looked ready to jump at the chance, but Emmett immediately moved to do just that, elevating Kit slowly so that her back rested against him.

It was Ben who shuffled forward in his crouch and he held the bottle of red Gatorade to Kit's lips.

"Drink that," he demanded, gently tipping it back.

Emmett supported her head, worried that she would choke and he overheard Angela whisper to the nurse that Kit got low blood sugar. How did she know?

"Do you want me to call an ambulance?" Mike asked, placing the stopwatch down.

"No," it was Alice who spoke, Kit's regular clothes folded in her tiny arms and satchel over her tiny shoulder, "We'll take her home."

Ben coaxed Kit into drinking more Gatorade much to Emmett's pleasure and while he could tell Kit was slowly starting to recover, she was still really weak. She hadn't said anything and he questioned if Kit even knew she was still at school.

Hooking Kit's limp arms around his neck, he stood up, lifting Kit into his arms bridal style. When she whimpered and sluggishly turned her face into his neck, he soothed her.

"It's okay," he promised, "It's okay, I've got you."

"I'm going to call her parents," Mrs. Hammond said, straightening up with a wince, "Let them know what's happened."

Emmett nodded at her, "Thank you," he jerked his head for Bella and his siblings to follow, "C'mon."

He left the gym, feeling eyes on them the whole way. Emmett walked, trying his best not to jostle Kit and Alice was closest, eyeing Kit worriedly.

"Emmett, I'll drive," Alice offered, "You can sit in the back with her."

He nodded curtly, looking away from Kit when Bella spoke. Her eyes were large with fright. They had never really interacted before.

"Will you call me?" she asked, nervously, "And let me know how she's doing?"

"She'll be okay, love," Edward promised, kissing Bella's hair, "It's just her blood sugar."

' _ **Just**_ _her blood sugar_ ,' Emmett thought back with a heavy eye roll, ' _Right_.'

"I'll deal with Rose," Edward offered with a grim smile, "You three go ahead."

' _Thanks_ ,' Emmett thought. He didn't have to be Jasper to feel Rosalie's anger radiating from across the parking lot and he wasn't in the mood to tolerate Rosalie badmouthing Kit.

Jasper opened the back door for him, then climbed into the front, leaving Emmett to easily maneuver his way into the car, Kit in his lap.

When Kit lifted her head slightly, he looked down. He was about to ask how she was feeling, but then Alice tore out of the parking lot and Kit lurched a bit. She hid her face again, her shaky grip on him tightening slightly.

"Is she going to be sick?" Alice asked, in a voice only he and Jasper could hear.

Emmett rubbed Kit's back into soothing circles, "I don't think so."

Still, Alice rolled down the windows in the back, giving Kit some much needed fresh air.

He clutched Kit closer to him, pressing his lips to her hair. She was still shaking and her breathing was fast.

Still speaking in a tone only audible to supernatural ears, Emmett asked, "Jazz, how is she feeling?"

"Embarrassed and confused, right now," Jasper said in the same quiet tone, "She's out of it. Give her time."

"We should have taken the Gatorade with us," Alice cursed under her breath, "She needs sugar."

"She needs to _eat_ ," Jasper corrected in a no nonsense tone.

"Shut up," Emmett told them firmly, "Enough."

It was silent the rest of the way until Alice pulled into Kit's driveway beside Blake's car. By the time Jasper had opened the door for Emmett, Everly and Blake were outside, ushering them all into the house.

Everly was frantic and looked tearful, "The school called. Emmett, honey, put her on the couch."

Emmett did as he was told, setting Kit down as though she were made of glass. Kit had her eyes squeezed shut, but at least she was still conscious.

Blake placed a thick blanket over Kit after removing her shoes. He held a large spoonful of honey in one hand and brought it to her lips.

"I need you to eat this," he instructed firmly, "Eat this and then you can sleep."

Emmett looked away, feeling as though he was somehow intruding on a private moment. Alice, he noticed, looked perfectly at home, while Jasper was standing way too still. That could be fun.

"Everly, I don't think you've met my brother, Jasper," he introduced with a grin.

"No, I haven't had the pleasure," Everly said, managing a smile, "It's so nice to finally meet you, Jasper!"

Everly hugged him and Emmett snickered at the look on Jasper's face, sharing an amused grin with Alice.

"She's a hugger," Blake warned, a little too late, "Eve, look at him, you're frightening the poor boy."

"Oh, am I?" Everly laughed and pulled back, "I'm sorry, sweetie. My Kit's very fond of you. She speaks of you often."

Jasper's blonde eyebrows rose, "Does she?"

Everly patted Jasper's arm, "She says very nice things. You're a good friend to her."

Emmett could feel the emotion Jasper was projecting. It was colored with astonishment and made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside which in turn diluted his worry for Kit who was on her way to dreamland.

"The school didn't say much," Everly said, going to the couch to fret over Kit, "She just fainted? Did she get too hot? Ugh, look at this sweatshirt she's wearing…"

"She hasn't been eating," Alice announced.

"Lunch!" Emmett interjected when Everly gasped. He shot a glare at his sister, "Today—Kit didn't eat lunch today. She's been studying really hard and she's designing the prom poster. She helped me with my history homework."

Right then and there, Emmett should have backpedaled and blurted that Alice was right. That Kit was hiding food during her bouts of not eating. That over a month ago, she had committed herself to some stupid diet that had now gotten out of hand. Rosalie and Alice always read those stupid girly magazines and even from cheesy infomercials, Emmett couldn't ever recall either one of those instructing its audience to hide food in your clothes drawer.

Only, he didn't say any of that and now Jasper was projecting at him and Emmett didn't react. Jasper was irritated and shocked at Emmett's lie. Why was he lying for Kit? Why was he dragging this out instead of telling them everything?

"I knew she was stressed out," Blake shook his head.

"Thank you guys so much," Everly said, looking over at them, "Thank you for taking care of her."

"We're going to keep her home, tomorrow," Blake informed them, standing up, "Make an appointment with a doctor and get her checked-out, an official diagnoses maybe."

Emmett's eyes widened and hope filled him, "Our father's a doctor and he'll be working, tomorrow."

"Perfect," Everly said, "We'll make an appointment with him. Oh, hold on, I'm going to get a cloth for her head," she scampered from the room.

"She had a little Gatorade before we got in the car," Alice told Blake who was raking his eyes up and down Kit's form, searching for some kind of injury.

Emmett went forward and knelt down by Kit's legs while Blake and his siblings talked. He placed his hand atop her blanket-covered hip. He could still feel her shaking, but she was asleep. He hoped that when she woke up, her parents would make her eat something and she'd be okay.

He looked up when Everly returned and he watched her place the wet washcloth on Kit's forehead with the gentle touch that only a mother could have. Everly reminded him both of Esme and a little of his human mother.

"There," Everly murmured to herself through a tsk, "Aww, Kit Kat…"

Making a disgruntled noise, Blake shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels. He nodded towards the door.

"Why don't you three get going?" it was posed as a question, but was really a command, "She's asleep and will be for awhile."

Emmett frowned at the same time Everly did and he could see that she didn't approve of Blake kicking them out, but didn't say anything on the matter.

"Thank you for taking care of her," Everly repeated, "We're so grateful."

"It was our pleasure," Jasper said with an easy smile, preparing to leave by wrapping his arm around Alice's waist.

"Emmett?" Alice flicked her eyebrows up, "Come on."

With a heavy sigh, Emmett stood up, going to kiss Kit's cheek. He touched the spot with his fingertips before following Jasper and Alice to go stand by the door, which Blake held open for them.

"We'll keep you in the loop," Blake said.

Emmett looked at Everly just as she looked at him and when she caught his gaze, she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Ignore him, honey," she said, glancing at Kit, "He's just being a dad."

Emmett nodded slowly. He already drove Kit to and from school, they went out, kissed and he knew that Kit's parents knew he came inside after school to help her with homework. He didn't understand why Blake didn't fully trust him. Not counting all the supernatural crap that was happening with Victoria, if something bad was going to happen to Kit because of him or his family, wouldn't it have happened already?

Still, Emmett didn't push it and he said another goodbye, trailing slowly to the car. He huffed as he got into the backseat, sitting down with such force that the car shook.

"Stop pouting," Alice scolded, "You and Kit have gotten so close in such a short amount of time. It's bound to be a bit unnerving for her parents."

"Yeah, I guess…" Emmett chuffed. He shook his head, not wanting to talk about it, "Let's just get home."

* * *

Carlisle briefly skimmed the file in his hand and stood up from his desk chair with his work laptop tucked under his arm. He was on the way to go see his new patient.

He had first gotten the call at work from a Mrs. Everly Algren.

Algren. He knew the name well.

She had been calm with frenzied notes lacing her voice. She was both worried about her daughter and happy to finally have the chance to speak to him even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances.

Kit had fainted at school.

He had taken on Kit's case with no second thought. The appointment had been booked for the next day, he had continued his shift and returned home to chaos.

Rosalie was furious, Emmett, Jasper and Alice were defensive and worried, Edward was with Bella and Esme was trying to calm down their children, which eventually Jasper helped her do.

Emmett looked at him desperately, but there was nothing Carlisle could say that hadn't already been said. He could offer words of comfort, but he knew that was the last thing Emmett wanted to hear. Emmett wanted things to be fixed; and if Carlisle suspected what he suspected about Kit, it wasn't something that could simply be fixed. She needed help.

Carlisle approached the examination room. He could hear Kit's heart racing with anxiety, the paper crinkling every time she moved. By now, she was probably aware that he planned to speak about more than just the fainting incident. He hoped she had filled out the worksheets he instructed the redheaded nurse to give her.

He knocked a few times on the door and heard a barely whispered " _Come in_."

He opened the door and saw Kit shivering on the medical examination table, dressed in a scratchy gown, her arms wrapped tight around her middle.

With a kind smile, he greeted her as warmly as ever, "Hello, Kit," he touched her shoulder as he passed, "We need to start meeting on better terms."

One side of Kit's mouth turned up in a small smile, "Yes," she agreed, "We do."

He pushed the computer stand aside and took a seat on a medical stool, rolling over towards Kit who hugged herself tighter in response. He could easily, sit, talk to Kit and take notes at the same time.

"Ready to get started?" he asked, still a bit chipper. When Kit nodded, he asked, "Is it all right if I take notes while we talk?" another nod, "Great. How are you feeling, today?"

"I'm okay," Kit said shortly, "Better."

Carlisle waited for the brunette to continue, but when she said nothing else and proceeded to stare at her lap, he pushed a bit, "Can you elaborate a bit? No dizziness or headaches?"

"I was dizzy yesterday," she said, "And I had a headache when I woke up, this morning, but after I ate breakfast, I felt fine. I'm still a little shaky."

"Mhm," he hummed in his light British lilt. He typed quickly on his laptop, "Yes, I heard you gave everyone quite the fright yesterday in gym class. Care to tell me what happened?"

He peeked up at her and saw how tense she was, though she was trying her best to come off as nonchalant.

"Um, I fainted. Low blood sugar, I suppose."

He nodded, "Later, the nurse will come in again and get some blood work to check, but you, Miss Kit are hypoglycemic," he flipped open her medical file, "You should have been diagnosed a long time ago."

"I don't go to the doctor often," she said, "Um, but my dad said I'd probably get diagnosed."

"It's something we'll discuss with your parents. There are precautions that you can take to manage it; and help avoid severe episodes like the one you experienced at school. I'll give you some further information."

"Well, good," she murmured.

He looked up from his laptop to ask her another question, "Did you eat lunch, yesterday?"

She shook her head, nervous again, "I didn't eat lunch. I-I had homework to catch up on."

He nodded, "Is this the first time you skipped lunch at school?"

"…No," Kit whispered. She paused, "Though, I'm sure Emmett's told you."

Carlisle kept his face schooled in a mask of calm, "Yes," he admitted, priding himself on his honesty, "A lot of concerns have been brought up to me and I've been wanting to speak with you, but I want you to be aware: I take my job very seriously and what you say will stay between us. It's called HIPPA. You have your rights to privacy. Even from your parents."

Kit was silent for awhile and he let her ponder what he had just said. He wanted Kit to trust him. Nothing she told him would leave this office unless absolutely necessary and he was the one who would be the judge of that.

Finally, she responded, "Okay."

"Okay," he parroted, "How well do you eat at home?"

"Fine."

"Do you?"

" _Yes_!"

Simultaneously, their eyes widened, both surprised at Kit's harsh tone. He had never heard her speak that way.

"Carlisle, I am _so_ sorry," she said sincerely, "That was very rude of me."

He reached out to place a hand on her arm, lowering it when he saw Kit stiffen.

"That's all right," he assured her "Food is a sensitive topic for you," it was a statement, not a question.

"I—" she stammered, pink filling her cheeks,"Kind of, I suppose…I don't know. No."

Her voice was a little hesitant as she continued, "I eat fine. I've always been a picky eater and…it's really not that big of a deal."

He smiled at her sadly, his fingers still moving across the keyboard. He left it open, then stood up to place it on the cart. He would come back to that later. They needed to get the physical exam started and as they moved on to more serious topics, there were certain things he needed to check for.

He went over to the sink to thoroughly wash his hands, "Fainting at school is a big deal, my dear," he turned to look at her, "Do you mind if we keeping talking while I look you over?"

He saw her shake her head and when he was finished washing his hands, he approached her, clipping a tiny heart rate monitor to her pointer finger. While that was going, his hands came up to massage her glands.

"I'm sorry," he apologized when she flinched, "Any smoking, drinking or drug use?"

"No," Kit gasped, sounding horrified, "Never."

"Good," Carlisle praised. He removed the heart rate monitor and checked the number, "Are you sexually active?"

"Nooo," Kit said through an awkward laugh and he allowed himself to chuckle as well. Considering who her boyfriend was, he supposed it was an uncomfortable question for her, but it was one he asked all of his patients.

After logging in the number of her heart rate, he pulled out his penlight and held up a finger, "Look here for me. Can you tell me the date of your last menstrual cycle?"

"Er, it was last month…?" she guessed, "I'm not sure of the exact date, but it's normal."

"And you haven't gotten it this month?"

She followed his finger from side to side, then up and down, "No. Not yet."

He ran a thermometer over her forehead, then removed the stethoscope from around his neck to place in his ears. He could still hear perfectly and pressed the circular piece to Kit's chest.

"Take a deep breath for me."

Kit complied and he did this a few more times, moving the circular piece to different spots, then moving it to her back. Her breathing sounded fine and he didn't suspect any lung disease.

While he replaced the stethoscope around his neck, he inquired, "Do you take birth control?"

"No."

"Is that something you'd like to look into?"

Kit was quiet again and he took this time to pull out his otoscope to look in her ears.

When she spoke, her voice wavered, "I kind of want to…I've thought about it, but…d-doesn't it—doesn't it make you _gain_ weight?"

There it was.

He pulled back to look at Kit while he answered, "It's often a temporary side effect that's due to fluid retention, not extra fat."

This didn't comfort Kit and she scrunched up her nose, "But it's still weight gain?"

"Can you say 'Ah'?" he asked, taking out his penlight again.

"Ah," Kit opened her mouth, letting Carlisle check her throat and her tonsils.

When he was finished, he replaced the penlight, "Gaining weight is something that concerns you?"

He picked up the clipboard with the papers she had filled out and Kit, he noticed, followed him with her eyes. She didn't answer his question and he skimmed the first page:

 _Compared to others your age, do you spend a significant amount of time worrying about your body, weight or shape_? She had left that one blank.

 _Do you worry you have lost control over how much you eat?_ ' **No** '

 _Have you recently lost more than 14 pounds in a three-month period?_ ' **Not that I'm aware of** '

 _Do you believe yourself to be fat when others say you are too thin?_ ' **I don't know** '

 _Would you say that food dominates your life?_ ' **No** '

 _Do you avoid food or eating?—OR—Have you experienced a lack of interest in food or eating?_ ' **Yes** '

 _Do you make yourself sick because you feel uncomfortably full?_ ' **No** '

He was about to speak, but Kit beat him to it, "I don't have an eating disorder."

He nodded at her. He never thought she did have an eating disorder, but on top of the fainting, and with Emmett having told him that Kit was hiding food and eating less everyday—she was noticeably thinner—made him worried she was heading down that path.

He told her as much, keeping his tone non accusatory, "I don't think you have an eating disorder, Kit, but I worry that you may be heading down that path."

Gently, he pushed on her shoulder, getting her to turn around and lie back. He lifted up her gown, apologizing again when he felt her tense. He begin to press down on her stomach,

She was looking somewhere else in the room, "I don't throw up or count calories or anything," she said softly, "That's not what I'm worried about."

Carlisle began to tap on her ribs with his knuckles, "What are you worried about?" when she didn't answer, he asked, "Are you concerned about your weight?"

By the time Kit answered, he had finished this part of the exam and he took a step back, letting Kit sit up and rewrap her arms tightly around herself.

"I—yes," she sighed.

He made a sound of acknowledgment, beginning to probe her head, "You wrote down that you tend to avoid food. Is that because you want to lose weight…?" he trailed off.

"Yes," Kit admitted, "I mean, I wanted to lose a little bit of weight, not too much and…"

He flicked his eyes down to meet Kit's green orbs, but she was looking somewhere else again.

"You can tell me," he prompted gently, "This stays between us. And…?"

She nodded slowly, "And that's it. It's not that big of a deal," she repeated, "I just don't like eating in front of people. I eat when I get home."

Carlisle pressed his lips together, "Tell me what you eat at home."

She shrugged and begin to fidget, "I don't know…an apple…or something…" she trailed off again, biting her lip.

Seeing how uncomfortable she was, he picked up the clipboard again and flipped to the other page. This particular worksheet had been longer. It was a depression and anxiety test. She was supposed circle answers based on her behavior and her fears over the last two weeks.

"This is something we'll talk about," he murmured, shaking the clipboard, "I want you to know, Kit that you're very close to becoming underweight," he held up a hand when she opened her mouth, "I'm not going to tell you any specific numbers, but it is important that you get back to a normal and healthy weight range."

Kit's eyes darted to the side, then back before she cleared her throat. It looked like she wanted to run out of the room or jump out of her skin.

"I-I _have_ to gain weight?" she asked him quietly.

From the centuries Carlisle worked as a doctor, he encountered thousands of people—more in the recent years who struggled with food and their bodies. Speaking with Kit, her lack of eating habits concerned him. She had lost more weight than she believed.

"If food is too hard for you, we could try supplements?" he suggested gently, "Do you know what Ensure is?"

"No, I mean, I'll eat!" Kit corrected quickly, "I'll eat—it was just a question," she sighed heavily, "I don't want to talk about this."

"Do you understand why it needs to be talked about? I understand that you've been having a hard time at school," he poked at the clipboard, "And you've been feeling terrible over the last couple weeks, haven't you?"

Kit shrugged, "I suppose so. I've been stressed out. High school…" she sighed again with a shake of her head, "High school is not easy."

"Is that the main place where you feel stressed out?" he asked.

When Kit peeked up at him and nodded, he continued, "Is there something going on at school that's caused you to feel this way? That's made you stop eating?"

"I don't know…" her voice was so quiet and she didn't elaborate.

He waited, hoping that she would. She didn't and he wasn't sure why. They had been doing so well. Maybe it was something she wanted to handle on her own. If she didn't want help, there was nothing he could do. Being a minor, Kit's parents could force her in to treatment, but that often did more harm than good.

"I guess," Kit started again, "I've been having a rough time with the move and all."

When she said nothing else, he went over to a rack hanging on the wall. The silence was tense, "Well, let me check you blood pressure. Why are you having such a rough time with the mov-

He was interrupted when Kit gasped loudly, jerking away as he made a move to grab her right wrist.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded of him, too loud.

Carlisle was astounded by her reaction and he froze for a hot minute, then his lips became a thin line, glancing down at her arm, then back to Kit's face. When he spoke, he struggled to keep his tone cool and collected.

"I need to check your blood pressure," he repeated, "And I wanted to talk to you a bit more before going out and fetching your parents."

Kit swallowed thickly, "Oh, okay. Sorry, you just…startled me."

"Can I have your arm please?" he asked as he reached for it.

Slowly, she unwound her arms from where they had been locked around her middle, allowing him to take her wrist. He flipped it over and had to close his eyes for a moment, exhaling softly.

Standing out on the inside of her ivory forearm that was currently void of any freckles, were bright red angry looking scratches. A few spots of the gouged skin had scabbed over.

He opened his eyes to focus on Kit and saw her staring back at him, her green eyes gauging his reaction. He knew what they were from. He could tell by the jagged lines and the placement. What were these people at school _doing_ to her? Was something else going on and how had no one noticed that she was gouging out her own arm?

Still, professionally he couldn't jump to conclusions and he couldn't let his emotions cloud his judgment.

Gently, he ran his thumb over the scratches, "What happened here?" his voice came out even.

"Indigo and I feed stray cats," she said quietly, "And one of them scratched me."

Abandoning the blood pressure cuff on the medical table, Carlisle reclaimed his seat and moved closer to her, Kit's arm still in his grasp.

"I need you to be honest with me, Kit," he said firmly, "I _care_ about you and I want to _help_ you. I can't do that if you can't be honest with me," he paused, "I could recommend a therapist…" when Kit shook her head, he stopped.

"It's the stray cats, honest. Ask my parents, Indi and I just fed them the other day," she said, sticking to her story and Carlisle sighed again. He couldn't call her a liar and he wasn't a therapist or a psychologist. He was in no position to give Kit advice, or tell her what to do. All he could do was recommend treatment.

"Kit," he said softly, "If I feel that you're at risk of hurting yourself or-

Gasping, she interrupted him, "I'm not!" tears welled up in her eyes, "I'm not, I promise. Honestly…I've been stressed and I'm not…" she sighed heavily, for the millionth time, "I'm not dealing with it well. _Please_ , don't tell my parents. I'm not going to hurt myself."

He regarded her for a long while, though she wouldn't meet his gaze. The scratches were very superficial and there were no other scars or marks on her body that indicated she had done something like this before. At the moment, he didn't suspect Kit to be at risk of hurting herself further, hurting others or suicide.

Only, he had seen too many of his patients over the years die from self-inflicted injuries. They cut too deep and were too scared to get help or their wounds became infected—they hid it so well, lost in the addiction.

It was his job to make sure his patients were healthy and safe; and if he suspected serious mental health issues like depression and anxiety at play, then he could inform the parents.

With Kit, he suspected both, but with diagnosing anxiety, both general and social, there was a certain protocol he had to follow before being able to officially diagnose her.

"You're depressed, Kit," he informed her gently. When she didn't respond, he asked, "Are you surprised to hear that?"

"I don't know," she said quietly, "I thought I was…okay. Do I have to be depressed? I mean, will it go on my record?"

"The diagnosis will be in your medical file, yes," he said, "It's not your fault and you did nothing wrong. It's a chemical imbalance in your brain. You're still you and hearing this can be very difficult-

"Can't you just ask me more questions?" Kit begged him, "I'll get them right this time."

"You did get the questions right," Carlisle promised soothingly, "You answered the questionnaires honestly and I'm grateful that you did. There's treatment for this if you would like."

After another stretch of silence, Kit shook her head, "…I wouldn't…like treatment. No, thank you."

Carlisle's lips became a thin line and he nodded. Getting a depression diagnosis wasn't easy and clearly, it was hard for her to take all of this in. Of course, she didn't need to come to terms with all of it right away. The most important thing was that she was safe and continued to live her life.

"Can you tell me more about what's happening at school?" he wrapped the cuff around her arm, being careful of the abrasions on her wrist.

"…No. I don't…want to talk anymore."

He could feel her wilt in his grasp. She sounded so tired and she was shutting down. He wasn't going to get anymore answers out of her. At least, not today.

"Are you going to tell my parents?"

Her voice was soft and mousy, barely a whisper and Carlisle kept his eyes trained on the cuff while he answered.

"I think," he said slowly, "It would be very beneficial for your parents to be aware of what's going on. Yes, there are certain laws in Washington state and you have your rights to privacy-

"Then I don't want you telling them!"

"This is something your parents need to be aware of," Carlisle said firmly, "Let's say I chose not to inform them, now; eventually, there will be a point where I will have no choice but to tell them and I would rather have them find out sooner than later. Trust me, Kit."

"I don't. Can I get dressed, now?"

Finished, Carlisle removed the cuff. He could tell she was upset; angry too and she had every right to be. If she wanted to take that out on him, then that was fine. For one appointment, this was a lot to take it.

"Yes, you may get dressed. Don't forget, the nurse is going to come in and draw some blood and give you a vaccine to bring you up to date."

She said nothing else, hopping off the table and making sure to keep her back towards it.

"Kit," he said seriously, "Are you sure there's nothing you would like to tell me?"

He watched Kit nod and he sighed dejectedly. If he was honest with himself, he was still contemplating whether or not telling Kit's parents would really be beneficial for her. In terms of getting treatment, it would be, but for her emotional state, he wasn't so sure. He feared that she would rebel or try even harder to hide the turmoil raging inside of her instead of being open like she had slowly started to be.

Perhaps while speaking with Kit's parents, he would leave a window open, giving Kit an opportunity to tell her parents, herself. It was really up to him. As long as he followed state laws and hospital protocol, every doctor had their own ways of dealing with their patients.

Still thinking, he headed towards the door, "Very well. If you ever want to talk then you know where to find me. I'll be back in a moment," he shut the door behind him.

* * *

Kit wondered if you could be so nervous about something you could suffocate?

Her hands were shaking terribly and it took longer than it should have for her to strip and dress in her regular clothes: a pair of high-waisted jeans and a navy blue sweater. It had to be something she could easily take off, knowing she was going to the doctor.

She felt lower than before she had come to the hospital and she couldn't express how upset she was at herself for panicking and not telling Carlisle what she should have. She had avoided his questions, sighed through a majority of her answers, deflected and remained silent. She regretted how this whole appointment had gone. She wished she could rewind time, keeping in mind that this had been the previous outcome.

' _I'm such a screw-up_ ,' she scolded herself, smoothing down her sweater.

Carlisle hadn't deserved the way Kit had spoken to him, but that seemed to be the case with everyone Kit talked to nowadays. She had gotten annoyed at Carlisle for doing his job and what kind of sense did that make? How could she be mad at him for diagnosing her…even though she was sure it was wrong.

She couldn't accept the fact that she was depressed. She just couldn't. That wasn't going to work for her and she decided that she didn't want to gain weight, either. She didn't want to balloon up—have her stomach get bigger or her face rounder. She barely fit into her clothes as it was.

But she also didn't want to be underweight. That had never been her goal. She wasn't sure of all the risks of losing too much weight, but she knew one of them was losing her period and Kit was pretty sure she would actually die if that ever happened. She desperately wanted children in the future, she wanted to be a mom, get pregnant, give birth and she couldn't do that without a period.

And now her parents were going to know all of this and it was going to mess up everything. Her mom and dad had so many other things to worry about and Kit knew they couldn't afford any kind of therapy or whatever Carlisle had suggested. She didn't want therapy, anyway. Her parents were lucky to be able to afford the fees for Indigo's soccer. Money-wise, since moving to Forks, things were getting better, but they were still only getting by and Kit didn't want to add to that stress.

She would have to play all of this off as her own stress from the move or her relationship. She was stressed about Willa's auditions while simultaneously trying to find another violin teacher in an affordable price range. Like her mother had said, she had been putting a lot off since moving to Forks. It was the end of the year too! Yes, that would work.

Of course, Kit hated herself a little more each time she lied, but it was something she felt she had to do. She hated it when people worried or fussed over her. She much preferred to be the one taking care of people. She loved taking care of people. She was always the strong one. She was always okay. She liked the fact that people could rely on her to do that. It was the one thing she felt she was truly good at. It was something no one else could do.

"I hate my life," she whispered to herself in dark and bitter tone.

Once dressed, she went over to the mirror above the sink station and looked at herself. She had the same eye color, same nose, same mouth, same eyebrows. Perhaps her freckles had multiplied, but other than that she was sure that she had all the same features.

So, why did it feel like she had no idea who she was anymore? Why couldn't she recognize herself?


	27. IMPORTANT NOTE (yes, I'm that author)

**Hello all...Important note.**

 **I know you all probably hate with authors do this and then authors that don't usually do this say: "I know you hate when authors do this because it's not an update and I'm usually not that author, but this...blah, blah, blah."**

 **Well, I'm going to be that author and I figured that since I _just_ updated, it wouldn't be that big of an issue.**

 **OTMM is a very important story to me and this is one I have fully planned out and will continue to the end. It is seriously one of the most important stories I have ever written and probably ever will. It hits so close to home. In the summary, I wanted to write "based loosely on true events" because despite the vampire/supernatural theme, Kit's story happens and it happening to a lot of people. Kit is a very real girl (though fictional in the story), going through very real problems.**

 **Let me get on with it: I got a review, yesterday where someone stated that they could not read my story any longer because they are suffering from an eating disorder and it was too much for them. I understand that and this story hits very close to me as well. It's actually hard for me to write some of the scenes and with how I have planned out the story, I decided to change my story from a ' T' rating to an 'M'.**

 **That doesn't mean that all of a sudden, there's going to be crazy, wild sex in every chapter. This is not a lemony story. But changing this rating does give me more freedom to write and add certain things into the story that I was going to have to hold back and if you need a trigger-warning for this story, then this is it.**

 **So, that's it. A lot of people will probably get put off by the ' M' rating, but Kit's story will continue on until it ends and I hope you enjoy. Thank you for sticking with me and Kit's current frustrating and painful journey. Don't forget to leave a review for the last chapter.**

 **P.S. I am in no way obligated to explain my story to anyone and I'm sick of the rude reviews. Bullying is a very complicated and frustrating situation that people handle differently. If you do not like how I'm portraying it, then feel free to find another story that suits your needs. If you find that you can no longer read my story, then that's your personal issue, not mine and my story will continue to how I have planned it.**

 **xx FictionChic**


	28. Feel Bad, Try To Fix Things

Blake whistled a soft tune to himself as he walked down the hall, swinging his leg around dramatically to pivot and plant himself in front of Kit's ajar door. Considering they hadn't had dinner yet, he knocked and figured her to be awake.

"Kit Kat?" he called into the wood, "Hey, I wanted to talk to you about your doctor's appointment."

He rocked back on his heels, waiting patiently for her to say "come in" or tell him that she was doing something, but he got no answer.

He knocked again, then placed his hand flat on the door, preparing to push it open,"Kit? I'm coming in."

Pushing open the door and poking his head in, he saw exactly why she hadn't answered him. She was lying on her stomach on her bed, dressed in pajamas with her headphones over her ears as she worked on some homework that she hadn't completed from the day before.

He went further into the room, leaving her door wide open. He leaned against the door frame, waiting for his daughter to notice him.

"Hey, Kit Kat?" he called louder. He waved a hand, "Helloooooo?"

When Kit jerked her head up, startled, he smiled and wiggled his fingers. He pointed to his ear, a signal for Kit to remove her headphones.

She did just that, "Hi, daddy," she greeted, "What's up?"

Reaching into the pocket of his black robe, he pulled out his car keys, hanging them from his pointer finger.

"I thought we could go for a drive," he told her, spinning the key ring around his finger, "I wanted to talk to you."

He watched as Kit looked down, then back up at him with a frown on her face. She was growing up so fast and she looked so much like her mother; she was a perfect replica of her grandmother in her younger days. His heart ached at the latter comparison. He missed Everly's mother very much.

His face screwed up slightly and he shook his head as if to clear away the thought.

"So, how about it?" he pressed, "I promise, I'll bring you back."

Kit didn't react to his teasing and protested, "But I'm doing homework. I need to turn it in tomorrow and what about dinner?"

"We won't be gone long," Blake promised. He jabbed a hand behind him, "Indi's helping your mom out. Ten minutes, tops…maybe more. Probably more."

"But I'm not dressed!"

Blake could hear the anxiety in her voice. Did Kit really think someone was going to see her at this time of night? He was sure, just like Kit, everyone else in town were getting ready to sit down to dinner with their families.

He hoped to comfort her and gestured down to his own attire which consisted of his black robe, "Neither am I; and I'm wearing my glasses. I look like Poindexter. C'mon, Kit," he jerked his head, "Let's go, I want to talk."

He waited for Kit to put on socks and shoes. He was glad she hadn't fought him too hard on staying in, but he could see she was still hesitant to go.

' _She's acting like I'm taking her to the slaughter house or something_ ,' he thought, ' _I said I would bring her back_.'

"Quit looking at me like that," he scolded lightly, "You're not in trouble. Are you ever?"

She blinked at him, "I guess not."

"C'mon," he urged her along, "Seriously, Kit. I really am bringing you back."

"Promise?" Kit asked with a wry smile.

"At least, today," he chuckled and turned to lead her down the stairs, "Eve, darling, we're going out for a drive!" he called, hopping off the last step, "Eve?"

He walked into the kitchen just as Everly turned around. She was standing at the stove, Indigo standing on a chair next to her.

"What's going on?" his wife asked.

Blake wrapped his arm around Everly's middle, letting the weight of his forehead rest on the back of her head. He loved this woman. So much.

"Kit Kat and I are going for a little drive," he repeated, kissing her head, "We have to go visit our other family."

"Well see if your other family has any spinach to spare," he could feel Everly's chuckle, "The bag in the fridge expired last month."

"Do we need it now?" Blake asked. He supposed he could pick some up, but like his daughter, he would admit that he had a slight aversion to walking around in his pajamas.

"No," Everly said, turning to peck his lips, "Just keeping you in the loop."

He felt his lips turn up and then he was grinning, barking out a chuckle.

"Okay, then," he murmured, releasing her, "And how are you doing, Princess?" he asked Indigo.

"Good," Indigo promised him, "Where are you and Kitty going?"

"Around," he told her, "We'll be back soon, don't worry," he was surprised she hadn't asked to come.

"I'm not worried," Indigo corrected, "Dinner will be done soon and we worked hard," she scowled, which Blake found adorable, "So, don't be late."

He drew a lazy salute across his head, "Yes, ma'am," he kissed her cheek, "Bye, honey."

"Bye, daddy."

"Kit's not going to say bye to me?" Everly asked, shocked.

Blake gave her a look, communicating silently. The conversation between the three of them and Dr. Cullen had been the definition of awkward and upon returning home, Kit had rushed straight up to her room for the rest of the day.

With Indigo standing there, clearly listening, he replied, "We'll be back soon. You won't even know that we're gone."

He held Everly's gaze a little longer and then she nodded, turning back to whatever she was stirring in the pot. Some kind of sauce.

"Okay," she said simply, "Be safe. Tell your other family I said 'hi'."

Indigo chipped in, "You don't have another family!"

"No, I don't," Blake agreed with a laugh, "Just one. The best family in the world. Okay, seriously, I'm leaving now. Kit's waiting."

' _Unless she escaped back to her room_ ,' he finished, hurrying back to the living room where he was happy to see Kit standing by the door.

"Ready to get this party started?" he asked, leading her outside into the chilly air.

"It's freezing out here," Kit murmured, climbing into the passenger seat.

The silence between the two was already uncomfortable and he hadn't even buckled his seat belt, yet.

He reached over to turn on the heater, "Let me know if you get too hot."

"Okay."

"While you were upstairs in your room, your mom went out and picked out a glucose monitoring kit," he started, then paused, "No pun intended. It's the same one Carlisle showed you how to use except the one you have is more of a starter…package. It comes with more lancing strips, instructions, and a little carrying case. It'll fit perfectly in your satchel."

"I really have to carry _all_ of that around with me?" Kit asked in a tentative voice, "That's ridiculous."

"Yes, Kit," he said, eyeing her when she sighed, "And you need to check your blood sugar at _least_ three times a day—it's that serious."

"I've gone years without checking my blood sugar," she practically sneered, "I think I'll be okay."

"And I think you should watch your attitude," he shot back, then spoke in a calmer tone, "Now, because you're walking around and burning more calories at school, you should probably carry some snacks or candy around with you to keep your blood sugar up; put some in your car. Carlisle put in a prescription for Glucagon in case you have another severe drop, but hopefully, we'll never have to use it."

Kit said nothing, so he continued, "Before school, tomorrow, we'll go over everything, but your teachers are aware of your blood sugar and so is the nurse, so you can go to her if you need to."

"Great, that's fantastic."

"Thin ice, Kit, _thin ice_ ," Blake warned at her short tone, "I know this sucks, but it's something we can live with, yes?"

"It's just embarrassing," Kit told him, "What teenager wants to walk around stuffing their face all day and having to stab themselves in the finger? It makes me nauseous."

Blake blinked a few times. This was news to him, "It makes you nauseous? Since when? You've never had a problem with needles or blood before."

"No, it's the sound," Kit corrected. He heard her swallow thickly, "When you press the release button on the lancing device. That little clicking noise or whatever from the spring. Ugh, it's terrible."

"I thought you looked pale when Carlisle showed you how to do it," Blake mused, "Well, he gave us a bunch of pamphlets. We'll see how often you need to check your blood sugar, okay? It's different for everyone."

"Okay," Kit agreed and he wondered what she was thinking.

Blake gave his daughter a long side glance. Of course, in the darkness of the car he couldn't see her that clearly, but he still tried.

Turning on his blinker, he added, "And it's not like you have to eat 24/7. A lot of people have this problem, Kit. It's something you now need to be really cautious about. You'll get used to it."

Still, Kit didn't respond and he took another look at her. She looked distracted by something as she gazed out the window. He couldn't tell what she was looking at. Everything looked the same here.

"I'm not surprised that your blood sugar's gotten worse," he admitted, "You know, you've always been on the thinner side. When you were little, you were thinner than a toothpick and then you lost more weight when you became a vegetarian. Do you remember how hard that was? Dr. Cilia said giving up meat wasn't in your best interest and it wasn't something she recommended?"

Becoming a vegetarian, especially at ten years old, there had been a lot of nutrition deficiency risks and bone density concerns. Kit had wanted to be a vegetarian when she was five and had spent time making charts and lists with coloring crayons to try and convince him and Everly to let her do it, but it had been out of the question. She was lucky that her doctor had even considered it when she was ten.

Kit was a vegetarian that didn't like most vegetables, she hated the fake meat brands and didn't take any multivitamins or supplements. She had tried iron when she was twelve, but it had been too hard on her body and made her feel sick. Since then, she always turned her nose up at any kind of supplements.

This time, he actually got a reply from his daughter.

"I remember," she said with a smile in her voice, "But you and mom let me do it anyway because you respected my morals-

"-And we cautioned you to be careful," Blake finished for her, "…You haven't been."

"I'm not giving up being vegetarian," Kit quickly interjected, "I can't do that."

Blake shook his head, though Kit probably couldn't see him well either. When he stopped at a red light, he turned to look at her.

"I would never ask that of you," he said, "Because you're such a picky eater, it's going to be a little harder. Not only that, but we need to get your weight up."

The light turned green and he was able to linger a little more on Kit's face. There were very few cars out at this time of night.

He watched her wilt in her seat and lightly bite the corner of her lip, another deep frown wrinkling her face.

He turned his attention back to the road and heard her mutter in a dejected voice, "Well, how much weight do I have to gain?"

He pressed his tongue to the side of his cheek. Carlisle had said it wasn't in Kit's best interest not to talk numbers. Basically, Kit didn't need to know that her goal weight was 125-130 pounds.

Kit was at that age, Blake supposed. Worrying about her skin, weight, hair, clothes and other girly things like that. What teenager didn't struggle with that kind of stuff?

"It doesn't really matter," he finally answered, "But I bet you'll feel a lot better when you reach your target weight and you'll look healthier!"

"Mm…"

Blake winced at Kit's dead response to his chipper tone. He and Kit were close, of course, but maybe this was a conversation that was better spoken between her and Everly. So, he decided to move on and let Everly handle the weight conversation. A girl-on-girl talk.

Kit wasn't engaging with him much and it made him feel a little awkward. She usually wasn't one to keep secrets from him or her mother and they weren't ones to keep secrets from her.

He tried again, broaching another topic that had been on his mind, "While we all talked, Carlisle mentioned that you haven't been feeling too great over the last couple weeks? You brushed it off pretty quickly and it's something I'm worried about. You're mother and I were definitely surprised. Do you think you're depressed?"

Her response was faster this time and she sounded exasperated, "No, I've been busy. Gosh, I have _so_ much to do. I have to do Willa's auditions, I'm trying to find a new violin teacher, and I miss New Hampshire more than I thought I would," she took a breath then continued, "It's going to be the end of the year in a few months and Sophomores take finals, _and_ it's almost your and mom's birthday _plus_ Mother's Day. Then I promised Indigo I would fix her clothes, I'm helping out with prom stuff, I want to find a job and I'm a little sad about not going to New Hampshire this summer. Apparently, I can't be stressed out without people saying I'm depressed! I think people here like to over exaggerate," she huffed out a loud, irritated sigh, cutting off her loud rant, "It doesn't even matter. I'm fine, okay!"

In the tense silence, he pondered Kit's words. He felt a little guilty for not realizing how stressed she really was. He knew she had a lot to do—Kit was someone who couldn't sit still. She always had to do _something_ and had been that way her entire life, especially when they had all lived with Everly's mother and Kit had delightfully taken over being Indigo's mother figure while he and Everly worked nonstop.

Keeping his voice even, he said, "Kit, you keep saying you're fine, but you don't sound like it," he let out a sigh of his own, "And you don't act like it, either. What about the anxiety?"

"What about it?" Kit grumbled, "We randomly moved to the middle of nowhere and my first ever boyfriend is one of the most popular and talked-about guys in the whole town. Of course I have some anxiety, who wouldn't?"

Blake could understand that to an extent and sure, people had talked about him and his family when they had first moved here, but that was months ago and the townspeople had moved on to other things. Despite it being a small town, the people weren't a bunch of evil gossips. There were some kind folks, though Blake didn't interact much. There wasn't much of an art community.

"You have anxiety about dating Emmett?" he clarified in a dangerous tone, "Is he pressuring you?"

"Oh my gosh!" Kit cried. Her voice was muffled, "Daddy, I'm not talking about this!"

" _You're_ the one that said dating Emmett makes you anxious," he pointed out.

"It doesn't make me that anxious, oh my gosh," Kit mumbled.

"So, you're not having sex?" Blake clarified, "And if you are, then I think we should-

"I'm a virgin!" Kit interrupted loudly, "You know I want to wait until marriage. Emmett and I haven't even talked about it. We don't need to right now."

"Right now," Blake snorted.

"So, can we go back home?" Kit demanded, "We've been driving forever."

Blake kept one hand on the wheel, reaching out to turn off the heater, "No, okay, wait, I got off topic. I need to know how you're feeling, Kit. I mean, if you're depressed, then you can tell me and we can try to figure it out. There's treatment for this nowadays."

"I'm not depressed," she scoffed lightly, "There are more important things to worry about."

Blake shook his head, "Not when it comes to my kid. Do you maybe want to… _talk_ to someone?"

She sighed loudly, "Thank you, but the last thing I want to do is talk about this any longer. I really just want to go home and finish my homework. It's history and it was due, today."

Blake was at a complete loss. He didn't know what else to say to his daughter, who looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but in this car with him. He should've scolded her more for her tone and bad attitude, but that wasn't going to help anything.

He racked his brain, going over each time he saw Kit. Did she smile or laugh less? She still played with Indigo and partook in activities that she enjoyed. Like her violin. He often heard her jabbering on the home phone to Willa, Alice, Bella, Emmett and most recently, Jessi.

He turned on his blinker, making a U-turn to head back home, "We all go through stuff, Kit Kat," his eyebrows creased together with thought, "If something's happening, then you can tell your mother and I. We might understand more than you think we do. I can't express that enough. We're always here if you want to talk. I always tell you that."

"You do," Kit confirmed. Her tone was calm, back to its usual softness,"Thanks, daddy, it really means a lot."

"I love you," Blake reminded gently.

"I love you too and I'm sorry for being so terrible."

He tried again. One last time, "Dr. Cullen said that in a few months we could talk about medication; if you're open to it," he reminded.

"I'm not open to it," she said, "I don't want to be all drugged up and I'm worried about the side effects."

"I don't think Carlisle would make you 'all drugged up'," Blake's lips twitched up slightly, "He seems smarter than that—not one of the doctors that write you a prescription and tell you to get out, you know?"

"Yes," Kit murmured, "I guess, but…I think I'll be okay."

"Okay…" Blake repeated through a sigh, "Okay, honey. Let's…go back home, then."

* * *

The next day, once again in her father's car; this time in the backseat, Kit huffed and crossed her arms.

"I can't stay home _one_ more day?" she whined. She would get on her knees and beg if it meant she could miss another day of school.

" _No_ , Kit," Blake said, narrowing his eyes at her in the rearview mirror, "I don't know how many times I have to tell you, and I don't understand what you're so worried about. I bet everyone will be really happy to see that you're all right."

Kit said nothing, tracing the cream-colored dots on her red dress. The bottom of the long full skirt that almost touched her ankles consisted of contrasting cream ruffles with red dots. The puffed sleeves were covered by another long-sleeved tie shrug. During their conversation, last night, her father hadn't asked about the scratches.

"Look at it like this," Blake suggested, thinking positive as always, "You passed out in sixth period, so maybe not everyone will know."

"Everyone will know," she moaned, "We could have waffles for breakfast and everyone would know about it. We need to move," she grumbled.

"What was that last part?"

"Nothing," she sighed, sliding lower in her seat as they pulled into the school parking lot, "I'm just in a bad mood. I'm sorry, I'm really nervous."

"It will be okay, Kit," Blake reached behind the seat to touch Kit's leg. He chuckled, "You'll be _fine_ , honey. The first day back from being sick is always the worst. Trust me. I'd tell you all about it, but I have to get to work and I'm scared that your friends are going to break my window and I can't afford to replace it."

Looking up from under her long eyelashes, Kit could spot Ben, Angela, Mike and Willa crowded around Ben's car. Her father was right, they looked ready to rush over to the car and drag her out.

"And I bet Emmett's dying to see you," Blake added causing Kit's heart to skip, "When him, Alice and Jasper brought you home I thought they were going to beg me to sleepover. Emmett didn't want to leave."

"Oh my gosh, that's so embarrassing!" Kit practically squealed, covering her face with her hands, "I can't get out now. Please just put me out of my misery!"

"You're so dramatic. Kit Kat, get out of the car or I will roll down my window-

"Daddy, don't!" Kit gasped, completely horrified.

"And yell to all your friends-

" _O_ - _KAY_ , _UGH_!" she grovelled through her father's barking laughter. She unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed her bag, "I'm going, I'm going."

"Goodbye, honey, I love you," Blake said sincerely, "And you're going to be fine. Make sure you check-in with the nurse if you feel low. Check your blood sugar and eat your lunch! All of it!"

"I will," Kit promised, leaning forward to kiss her father's cheek, "Bye, daddy. See you after school. Thanks for driving me."

Her heart felt as thought it was going to beat out of her chest, she was so anxious. Her hands were sweaty and shaking and she had to wipe them on her dress. She took her sweet time getting out of the car, buying time by pretending to fix the large button on the side of her leatherette nude peep toe pumps.

"Kit Amara-

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" she thought of stalling a little more by gnawing her nails off, but it didn't seem like she had time for that.

Taking a deep breath, Kit kept her eyes down, shaking fiercely as she climbed out of the car. She had barely swung her legs over the seat before she was pulled out and enveloped into a crowd of hugs.

Through all the sudden chatter, she didn't hear her father's car pull out of the lot.

"Kit!" Willa cried, accent thick. She squeezed tightly, "Oh my gosh, what the heck!?"

"Are you okay!?" Ben placed his hand on her shoulder.

"We were so worried!" Angela gasped.

"We thought you were, like, dead or something," Mike joked through a chuckle.

Kit was glad that Willa was still hugging her as she was sure that her face was red all the way up to the tips of her ears. She had a little trouble making out the words as her schoolmates continued to sling out their concerns.

When Willa pulled away to hold her at arms length, Kit avoided their insistent gazes and cleared her throat before she bit her lip. Her nails dug into her palm.

"Um, I'm fine, thank you—all for your help, yesterday," she stammered. She took a deep breath that made her chest feel tight, "I'm fine, just hypoglycemic."

"Erm…one more time?" Mike asked stupidly.

"It means she gets low blood sugar!" Angela hissed to him as she pushed up her glasses.

"Oh," Mike said with a blink. He scratched the back of his neck, "That blows."

"Mhm," Kit confirmed with a nod. She snuck a peek at them, "It's really not that big of a deal. I just have to be more careful," she forced a small smile trying to lighten the mood.

"Seriously, you scared us all to death!" Ben declared.

"You should have seen Cullen," Mike informed her, "The big one. He looked so freaked."

' _Cullen_ ,' Kit thought. She didn't understand why it was so hard to refer to Emmett by his name. Kit knew that Mike was aware he had one.

"No, it was sweet," Angela said softly with a bemused half-smile, "He carried you out and everything."

"Oh my gosh…" Kit partially covered her face with her hand, "I'm so embarrassed. Really, guys, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so much trouble."

"You don't need to apologize," Angela reassured, "You weren't any trouble. We're just glad you're okay."

"And you're with me today!" Willa lopped her arm through Kit's, pulling her close, "Well, until third period, but I'm going to call you, later!"

Kit managed to wave at the others while Willa dragged her away. Another thing Kit was thankful for. She had questions that she felt she could only ask her best friend.

But first, "Um, Willa. I'd love to talk, but I should probably go see Emm-

"Later," Willa huffed, "He gets you _all_ the time. I need to talk to you."

"Okay, but-

Willa interrupted her again, pushing Kit to sit on one of the picnic benches. She angled herself so that she was slightly in front of Kit, something Kit found relieved her anxiety. It was as if Willa was trying to hide her from prying eyes.

"Now," Willa started, all business, "Tell me what happened! You just passed out?"

"Yes," Kit insisted, "That's exactly what happened, but it's fine…" she paused and lowered her voice, "Are people talking?"

"Of course," Willa chimed, making Kit's stomach drop, "People always talk and it didn't help that you missed school, yesterday," her smile was sheepish.

"Hey, I had to," Kit said, affronted, though she wasn't complaining about missing school, "My parents kept me home and I had to go to the doctor."

' _Which was loads of fun_ ,' she commented in her head as Willa's eyes lit up with curiosity.

"The doctor didn't say anything bad, right?" Willa asked, cocking her head.

Kit shook her head. Willa didn't need to know all of her drama and decided to keep everything else she and Carlisle had discussed, to herself.

"So, I don't really know about hypoglycemia," Willa admitted, cheeks pinking, "I've heard about it, but what do you have to do?"

Kit winced, "I have to stick my finger and put my blood in this tiny machine that tells me if I'm low or not."

"Ew!" Willa gasped, making a face, "Is that sanitary?"

"I have to _make_ it sanitary," Kit said, recalling the instructions she read in the manual, "And if I'm low, then I just have to drink juice or eat glucose tabs or drink something. If I'm not low, then I just move on with my life."

"Was it low this morning?" Willa asked, again curious.

Kit shook her head, scrunching her nose. Her parents had made her a big breakfast and it weighed heavily in her stomach. She knew they were trying to get her weight up and she feared to see what her mother had packed for her lunch. She had been so full that morning that she almost started crying.

Willa crossed her legs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Jessi's worried too. We'll three-way call later if you want. Oh and I bet all the teachers are going to go easy on you, today."

"I guess…" Kit mumbled. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, "I hope they'll accept my late assignments."

"I think they have to," Willa said. She looked at Kit, "Don't look so worried. This will blow over by next week. Not a lot happens around here."

' _That means I have to be their entertainment_?' Kit sighed and didn't speak her thoughts aloud.

A drop landing on her head caused Kit to look up and she held her hand out, catching a raindrop in her hand.

"It's starting to rain," she announced to her friend.

"Yeah, come on," Willa stood up, "I guess I need to deal with it. It won't be any different in Seattle, will it?"

Kit bit her lip, "So, you're actually moving?" she cleared her throat when her voice came out shaky. She knew why Willa was moving, but she didn't want her friend to go.

"I hope so," Willa admitted, "My family and I are, like, the only brown people in Forks, it's ridiculous. We moved here because it's cheaper, but it's lonely. Some of our family are coming over from India, and they're moving to Auburn."

"When are they coming?" Kit asked, falling in-step next to Willa.

"Not until the summer," Willa said, "That's when we would go. My parents are still trying to find a house and they're trying to work around my schedule too. It would have to be after intensives."

Kit nodded. During their sleepover, Willa had finally picked a song. _Entr'acteby Tchaikovsky_. The one from ' _Sleeping Beauty_.' It was the one she had been leaning towards, so Kit wasn't surprised.

As they neared the buildings that separated the classes, the two slowed their steps.

"I'll see you next period," Willa said with a smile, "Let me know what we're doing in history, kay?"

"Mhm," Kit hummed, "I will. See you."

"See you," Willa parroted, going off in the other direction.

As soon as Willa was out of earshot, Kit heaved out a loud sigh, trudging to the history building. Sighing seemed to be the only thing she did nowadays.

School had yet to start, but so far, the day wasn't as bad as she had previously anticipated. Given her history, it would probably get worse, but she was cracking down on how she used to be. She was trying to be positive again, something that had at one point slipped right through her fingers.

She was relieved to see no one outside her history classroom. More specifically, Lauren and her friends. In fact, Kit had been so nervous about going to school, then being occupied by Willa and the others, that she hadn't bothered to look for Lauren.

She left her assignment on the teacher's desk and took her seat, wondering if it was possible that they could all be home sick at the same time. Did it make her a monster for hoping it could be true?

"Ah, Miss Algren," Mr. Jefferson said with a smile, "It's good to see you back in school. How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Kit told him, reaching into her satchel to take out her notebook, "Thank you."

"Let me know if you need to go to the nurse," Mr. Jefferson responded, "Or if you need to eat or drink something, that's okay."

Kit nodded with an embarrassed smile. She wasn't much of a sweets person, but had some soft caramel and granola bars in her bag. If it came down to eating in class, she probably wouldn't do it. Especially not with Katie in such close proximity.

More students began to trickle in and Kit kept her head down, feeling eyes on her the whole time. Dressing the way she did, it's not like she wasn't used to it. In the past, it was like people weren't even staring; she had grown so used to it, but now it felt like all anyone ever did was stare at her.

She didn't want to make it sound like she had a big head or an ego. Maybe she was just paranoid. Most likely. She felt like she was constantly having to look over her shoulder. Worried both about human and vampire troubles. Was Lauren going to shove her into a wall or trip her? Was Victoria going to jump out at her and sink her teeth into her throat or hurt her family?

Kit squirmed at the thought, almost shuddering. She was a little envious of those around her, oblivious to the things that lurked in the shadows. How lovely it must be, Kit thought. While overall she didn't mind the vampire thing, she would admit that she was scared. It was only natural, wasn't it?

The bell rang, again causing her to look up and she moved her pencil closer to her notebook. Frightened as she was, Emmett had promised that she was going to be safe. She was concerned about Indigo and her parents more than anything, but she supposed there was nothing she could do about it.

She hated feeling so out of control.

* * *

"You're not avoiding me, are you baby?"

Kit's lips turned up into an involuntary smile when she heard Emmett's musical voice and she looked up from where she was knelt on the ground, tightening the strap on her right heel.

"No," she tried to play off being calm, but her heart was beating too quickly and she knew Emmett could hear it, "I'm not."

She accepted the large hand he held out, letting him pull her up and into his hard and comforting embrace. He was hugging her a little tighter than normal, but not so tight that it was uncomfortable.

"Hi," she said against his chest.

"Hey," he whispered in her hair, "Are you okay?"

"Mhm,"she didn't want to let go, "I'm okay. Thank you."

She felt Emmett shake his head and she tried to look up at him to no avail.

"Don't scare me like that again," he warned her in a grave tone.

Kit felt terrible. She hadn't meant to scare him, or cause so much trouble. She was such a burden. A worthless human that meant nothing, said ever so kindly by Rosalie.

"I-I won't," she promised feebly, "It's all okay, now. I'm fine, really," she shivered, "Um…I'm cold…"

Immediately, Emmett pulled away from the hug and Kit bit her lip as his eyes searched her face. She didn't think she looked so pale anymore, but then again, nothing was pale in comparison to Emmett and his family.

She tilted her head to the side. It looked like he wanted to ask her something.

"What?" she asked, "Do you want to say something?"

"No, just…" Emmett tilted his own head, "Your parents said they were taking you to the doctor."

Kit blanched. She hadn't gone over what she was going to say to Emmett. After returning from the drive with her father, she had reluctantly eaten dinner, then gone back to bed, Indigo waking her up in the middle of the night to sleep with her.

"Yes, they did and it was fine," she told him, trying to be reassuring, "I just need to look out for my blood sugar."

Emmett didn't look too happy, "That's it?"

Kit shrugged, "Basically," she took his hands, "It's nothing you need to worry about, okay?"

When he scowled at her, she stood on her tiptoes, puckering her lips for a kiss. She giggled against his mouth, then went back down on her feet, biting her lip as she gazed up at him.

"Trust me, I'm _fine_ ," she said, releasing one of his hands, "Come on, the bell's going to ring for lunch."

"You seem rather eager," Emmett commented, "Are you going to eat lunch, today?"

She tensed. Emmett tended to never call her out when she skipped lunch or only sipped from a water bottle, but that didn't appear to be the case, today.

"I'm going to try," she promised quietly. She squeezed his hand, "I kind of have to…"

Her voice trailed off as they neared the cafeteria and she faltered in her steps. She hated the cafeteria. It was literally the whole school crammed into one room. She missed her old school, where they had two lunches.

"I-" she stuttered.

"It's okay," Emmett promised, pulling her forward, "Just don't look. Trust me."

Kit did, of course she did and it was that day that she realized she probably had the best boyfriend in the entire universe.

Emmett ate lunch with her.

She panicked at first, trying to be discreet about it. She knew vampires couldn't digest human food and she didn't want Emmett to hurt himself or be uncomfortable because she was a total wackadoo.

Emmett wasn't at all panicky and laughed as he swallowed a large bite of pizza.

"I'm not going to keel over or anything," he said through a chuckle, "It's not like my _heart_ is going to stop."

He busted out laughing like it was the funniest thing ever and Kit had to giggle, hiding a louder laugh behind her hand.

For lunch she had a carton of milk, some kind of stuffed flatbread sandwich, spinach salad with feta cheese, nuts, cranberries and dressing and a peanut butter granola bar.

It was…a lot. Instead of keeping it all spread out in front of her, she packed some of it away to eat them one by one. She started with the salad and was still working on it. She had taken one bite at most.

"We need to keep up a better charade, anyway," Emmett said, "At one point, we all just have to suck it up and stuff our faces. We all do it."

"It doesn't hurt?" she pushed away a chunk of cheese with her fork.

"It's uncomfortable," Emmett complained, "But if you think a piece of pizza is going to take me down, then we need to have a serious talk."

"No," Kit laughed, "I have more faith in you. Just don't be uncomfortable all day."

"I'll get rid of it before lunch is over," Emmett told her bluntly, "And then I'll be just as perfect as I always am," he grinned brightly.

"Always," Kit snorted with a playful eye roll, "Okay," she drawled sarcastically.

"Hey!" she batted his hand away, careful not to hurt herself when he stuck her fork in her salad.

"Just trying to top it all off," he made a big show of putting his fork in his mouth.

Kit scrunched her nose up at him. She supposed it didn't matter if they shared food. They already kissed and that was sort of the same thing. Kind of. Just chaste kisses and pecks here and there, but that was beside the point.

Between talking with Emmett, she focused more on eating the cranberries, figuring those contained the most sugar. She didn't think she'd be able to eat her entire lunch, but she would definitely put in more effort when she got home.

"I'll be right back," Emmett said, standing up from his seat. He glared at her playfully, "Stay here. Alice is plotting to kidnap you."

Kit giggled, "I'll try my very best to remain unkidnapped," she waved him off, "Go, go. Do your…thing."

Emmett parted with a chuckle and a kiss on her head and she bit her lip shyly as she looked down at her lunch. She had yet to see Alice, Jasper or Bella that day. They all ate lunch at different tables, busy with their significant others or siblings. Not that Kit minded, she ju-

"This seat isn't taken, is it?"

Kit felt her heart skip a beat and her head snapped up at the snotty voice that pierced her thoughts. All traces of a smile fell from her face as she looked at Lauren who now occupied Emmett's seat, her elbows on the table, chin resting on her folded hands.

Lauren smiled in a way that unnerved Kit. It was a smile that never meant good things with a tongue laced with malice.

"Y-yes," Kit stuttered, "It is. Emmett's sitting there."

"Is he?" Lauren's eyes widened and she looked around, "Well, I don't see him. Unless, you're seeing things that aren't there. I wouldn't be surprised—I mean, we all know how much attention you need."

"Whatever," Kit rolled her eyes, "I've heard that one before. I'm not in the mood."

Lauren smirked, "Wow. Is that what you say to Emmett when he tries to get in your pants? Look, Kit, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just being honest. All that sleeping around? You think you would be thinner considering that sex burns calories."

Kit felt her cheeks heat up. Emmett had never pressured her into sex or making out or doing anything she didn't want to do. She didn't appreciate Lauren implying that he did.

"Jessica was telling me you passed out because you were pregnant," Lauren continued. She rolled her eyes, "She's _so_ stupid, as if _you_ would be pregnant. Can you imagine? I mean, your children would be _disgusting_."

Kit dug her teeth into her lower lip. She wasn't going to give Lauren the satisfaction of seeing her get teary-eyed or cry. That was one of the worst things Lauren had ever said to her. The other, making fun of her dead grandmother.

Lauren made a sound of disgust, "Are you going to eat all of that?" she demanded, making a face at Kit's lunch.

Kit frowned, generally confused at Lauren's question. All of what?

"What?" her voice came out watery and she cleared her throat, "It's just a salad. It's…not that much."

"Full fat cheese," Lauren pointed, "Full fat dressing. Do you know how many calories that has? There's, like, five pounds in that whole container. But if gaining a bunch of weight is going to keep you from 'passing out'," she made air quotes with her fingers, "Then I say go for it. I guess Emmett likes big girls. More of you to hold, right? That is, if he can even lift you," she snorted.

Kit didn't know how to react. It seemed like Lauren was just blathering and not really talking to her. Not that she ever had before, but Kit was having a hard time regulating her emotions. She couldn't tell if she was upset, embarrassed, on the verge or tears or what.

"Please, leave me alone," she whispered.

"Please, leave me alone," Lauren mocked, "I'm trying to be nice and you're being a bitch about it," she stood up, glaring, "At least do yourself a favor: stick your fingers down your throat when you're done cramming food into your face. Fat ass."

Kit's mouth literally fell open at Lauren's smirk.

"I'm being nice," Lauren repeated, "If Emmett and his other freaky little family members aren't going to tell you that you're still fat, then who is?" she shrugged, "You should be grateful. Think about it…when have I _ever_ lied to you?"

"Ahem!"

Kit startled at the large frame appearing beside Lauren. She hadn't noticed Emmett approaching. How much had he heard?

"I'll see you later, Kit," Lauren retorted, already turning to leave. Her blonde hair bounced behind her.

Emmett's eyes followed the Junior and then he took a seat, looking at Kit.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded, "Was she being mean to you?"

Still reeling from what had just happened with Lauren, Kit shook her head, feeling off and spacey as she absently placed the top back on her salad container to pack it away.

"No," she said, blinking, "She was being nice."


	29. I'm Losing Grip, What's Happening?

During her appointment with Carlisle, Kit had asked herself if she could be so nervous that she would suffocate.

She wished she would have saved that question for later because the anxiety she had fell paled drastically in comparison to what she was feeling now.

She had woken up that Friday morning and rolled around in bed to stare at the ceiling. She laid like that for ten minutes, unsure if she would be able to find the strength to pull herself out of bed. Considering she hadn't really fallen asleep until 3:00AM, she was tempted to roll back over, pull her blankets over her head and sleep the day away.

But she didn't.

Despite feeling very unrested, she was still in a good mood because it happened to be the first day of Indigo's soccer classes…training…practice. Whatever it was called! Either way, today was the day and Kit was excited because Indigo was excited.

Kit sat up and stayed at the edge of her bed for another five minutes before she had dragged herself to the shower, then got dressed in one of her bright dresses.

It was a thick pink and orange striped cotton dress, the pink varying from light to magenta with orange in between. The stripes of the fitted bodice were vertical and the stripes of the full flare skirt were diagonal. For shoes, she wore three-inch orange pumps and a simple pink barrette in her hair, tying a shrug around herself to hide the scratches that hadn't healed, yet.

She put on her yellow trench coat and managed to smile at her reflection. Yellow was a happy color and that's why she loved it so much.

She had put on her locket and was grabbing her school satchel when her bedroom door burst open, Indigo bouncing into her room, chattering and gasping through her excitement. Indigo's logic was: the faster Kit moved, the faster the day would start. Thus, the faster time would move until it was time for her soccer…meeting.

So, Kit let Indigo drag her downstairs with a smile plastered on her face as she greeted her family, kissing them good morning and taking her seat next to Indigo. Still under watchful eyes, she checked her blood sugar while color drained from her face. She shoveled breakfast into her mouth and tried to focus on the conversation, occasionally pressing on Indigo's lower back, a reminder for her to sit straight.

Stomach full and cramping, Kit had excused herself to go upstairs to brush her teeth right when there was a knock at the door. She whirled around, grabbing her lunch and shoving five mint strips into her mouth before running to answer the door.

She kissed Emmett good morning and invited him in. Greetings were exchanged and Kit said her goodbyes, leaving the house with Emmett hand-in-hand.

She sat with him in the silver car, on her way to school with the heat cranked up. It was raining.

After the fainting incident, Kit found that returning to school was a little awkward. Especially gym where Coach Clapp kept an extra eye on her. Every time she blinked, it felt like someone got ready to catch her, worried she'd collapse again.

It would pass, both Willa and Bella assured, the latter understanding how Kit felt due to the car accident.

Alice had seemed a little put off with her, and Kit had spent hours wracking her brain, trying to figure out what she had done wrong. She had asked Emmett about it in the car.

"It's nothing," he promised her, "She's just being dramatic. You look all frazzled. Do you wanna ditch? I'll ditch with you."

Kit shook her head, laying her head back on the headrest, "That's so tempting, but I really can't…"

"Jasper can hack the school system," Emmett had told her, "Have it taken care of...like that," he snapped his fingers, "Or you could pass off as sick. Which by the way wouldn't be that hard. Did you get _any_ sleep last night?"

She had closed her eyes, "Considering you were with me, can I assume that's a rhetorical question?"

"Yes," he said. He had driven past the school, then. They were always early due to his fast driving, "We're taking a small detour."

"Okay," she murmured, "As long as we're not late."

"Baby…" Emmett reached over to lace their fingers together.

Kit shook her head in response and that was that. She was exhausted, irritated, sluggish and uncomfortably full. She recited her mantra, promising Emmett she was fine. He pulled into the parking lot and then they had parted ways for the day with words of love murmured between them.

Goodness, how Kit wished she had taken up Emmett's offer to ditch. Because, now, here she was, sitting stock still in the principal's office with Lauren, Katie, Ashley and Jessica beside her.

Kit felt as though she were going to vomit.

"Ladies," Mr. Greene started, closing the door. He walked, hands folded behind his back, to sit at his desk, "Do you know why you're all here?"

Kit kept her eyes on Mr. Greene's desktop, unable to look anywhere else. She could feel her heart beating violently against her chest. It echoed in her ears.

"Well, I'm going to tell you," Mr. Greene quipped when no one answered, "I've been informed that there may be some… _conflict_ going on between the five of you," he looked at Lauren first, "Have you four been giving Kit a hard time?"

' _A hard time_ ,' Kit snorted in her head. She wished it was only a hard time. She _wished_ it was only conflict or a hard time.

"No, of course not!" Lauren gasped, "At least, we haven't been meaning too. We've only been joking around with each other. All of us," she frowned, looking at her friends.

"Kit," Mr. Greene looked to her for confirmation, "Is that true?"

"…No," Kit mumbled, shifting in the uncomfortable fabric chair.

"What did you say?" Mr. Greene asked.

"No," Kit repeated, flicking her eyes up, "No, that's not true. Jokes are supposed to be funny and I…didn't find it funny."

Her breath hitched and her hands trembled fiercely. She fisted them hoping it would stop.

"They've been bothering me all year," she continued through gasping breaths.

Mr. Greene opened his mouth, but Lauren beat him to it.

"It's all a misunderstanding," Lauren said with a smile, addressing Kit. The words were rote and practiced, "Look, Kit, if we've hurt your feelings, then we're sorry, but, Mr. Greene," she turned back towards him, "I'm a star student. I'm on honor roll—I always have been. I have straight A's, my parents were both top Alumni and still work with the school and organize events as well as fundraisers. I would never do something to jeopardize that!"

"We're all good students," Ashley added.

"None of us have even been sent to the office before," Jessica gestured to them, "Or had a detention. Do teachers _ever_ complain about us?"

Lauren frowned again, "Katie introduced us all on Kit's first day and I have no reason to be mean," she shrugged, "You can ask anyone in the school. In fact, Ben and Angela are doing work for the prom and we're the ones who told them to ask Kit to help out. She's a great artist."

"I've seen her draw in Spanish class," Jessica smiled.

Katie, who had remained silent, sighed softly.

Kit's brain was short-circuiting and her leg began to bounce up and down. She had never wished more in that moment for a giant black hole to magically appear and swallow her whole. This was so much worse than she had ever anticipated. Her chest was tight and for a moment, she feared she would faint again.

With fumbling hands, she bent over and dug through her satchel, until her clammy fingers curled over her cellphone. She would bet money, that Lauren and her clique hadn't been smart enough to delete the texts from her phone and maybe if she called the numbers, their phones would ring.

"It really sounds like this has all been a misunderstanding," Mr. Greene said, "But—Miss Algren put your phone away!"

Kit jumped, the phone almost falling from her fingers. She recovered quickly and shook her head.

"Mr. Greene-

"Again, we're _really_ sorry, Kit," Jessica smiled sweetly, interrupting her. She chuckled, "We didn't think you were so sensitive."

"I'm not," Kit scowled at her, "You guys-

"Phone away, Miss Algren!" Mr. Greene said firmly, "I won't ask you again," he pointed at her, " _That_ is what's going to get you in trouble."

Kit dropped her phone back into her satchel, biting her trembling bottom lip so hard she could taste blood from the broken skin.

"Now," Mr. Greene cleared his throat, "Ladies, I want this to be _done_. I want you to put it behind you and move forward."

"Of course!" Lauren agreed cheerfully, "No problem."

"You four can go," Mr. Greene nodded towards the door, "Thank you for your cooperation. Kit, I want you to stay a moment."

Kit perked up. Was Mr. Greene planning to question her alone? Was he going to ask her more questions? She hadn't really gotten a proper chance to speak.

"Miss Algren," Mr. Greene coughed into his first, "Are you aware that in two of your classes, your grades have dropped down to 'C's?"

"I-I," Kit stuttered, her voice cracking with emotion, "What about Lauren?"

"We're talking about _you_ , Miss Algren," Mr. Greene said, "I told you—all of you, to put it in the past. Now, because finals will be coming up as the school year ends, I need to see an improvement in your grades. We're really trying to crackdown on students, this year."

"Okay—I mean—I'll try, but I was trying to sho-

Mr. Greene held up a finger when the phone rang and he picked it up, "Forks High School, principal Greene speaking."

Kit's eyes darted to the side, then back. Was Mr. Greene really going to let Lauren off the hook like that?

"Mr. Greene-

He held up another finger, then placed the phone between his ear and shoulder. Kit watched as he removed a pen from a glass mug and scrawled something on a square of bright pink paper, then slid it over to her.

It was a 'back to class' pass with the date, time and his signature. Apparently she was excused.

Crushing the paper in her fist, she walked out of the office on shaking legs. The corridors were empty and Kit couldn't even remember what period she was supposed to be in. She probably could have asked at the front office, looked at her phone to check the time, or pull out her class schedule that was still tucked inside her satchel. She could have simply looked down and checked the pass she had been given.

Instead, Kit walked home.

She couldn't take it. There was no way she would be able to face the rest of the day. If she had, she was sure she would have some kind of serious breakdown that would terrify everyone. Not only that, but the thought of Emmett seeing her go totally nuts wouldn't suffice. She passed his car and debated hiding near it, then texting him to take her home.

No. She didn't to worry him. She didn't even want to see him.

She just wanted her parents.

Kit had never walked home before, and she wasn't really good with directions; but considering that Forks was such a small town she figured it couldn't be too long of a walk.

She kept her head down, still trying to process what had transpired in the principal's office. It wasn't very climactic and they hadn't discussed it. Lauren and her friends spouted nonsense then they were dismissed. The whole ordeal had seemed very practiced between the four girls and it had taken less then ten minutes.

Kit knew that life wasn't fair, but this was definitely not fair.

Her feet ached by the time she returned home, tears welled up and tumbled down her cheeks before she even opened the door.

She never would have guessed that the principal wouldn't believe her. She thought he would give them all a warning and then proceed to call their parents—not completely dismiss it, yell at Kit, then inform her that her grades were dropping to 'C's.

Having managed to finally get the door open, she gave it a loud slam to alert her parents that someone was home; in case they were having sex or something. She had never walked in on them and didn't want to start now.

" _Hello_?" came Blake's voice from the kitchen, " _Are you a burglar_?"

Kit lips didn't even twitch in amusement and she shuffled forward into the kitchen, dropping her bag on the floor before she entered.

"Kit Kat?" Everly gasped, glancing at the clock on the microwave, "Honey, what are you doing home so early? How did you get here? Where's Emmett?"

Kit continued to walk forward until she was barely two inches from her parents. She tilted her face up, giving them a view of her tearful face.

"Mom? Daddy?" she croaked.

"Yes sweetheart, what is it?" Blake asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Kit's lip trembled, "It's really upsetting me and it's becoming a problem."

And that was all she managed to get out before she burst into loud, unforgiving sobs.

Kit hated it when she cried. She felt like a baby and was an ugly crier. She could never control her facial expression or the reddening of her face. She wasn't quiet and the sounds were unpleasant. She buried them in her father's chest when he hugged her tight.

She cried for hours. At least, she thought she did. In broken sobs, she managed to choke out what had happened in the principal's office, some of her words and whimpers unintelligible. Still, she left out the part about the text messages and some of the more graphic name-calling. She wasn't ready to talk about that, yet. It had been a long day.

Her father calmed her down enough so that he could take her to sit on the couch. He murmured soothing words while he rubbed her back.

"Here you go, sweetheart."

Kit blinked her eyes, that were raw from crying. She was still sniffling, her body jolting from hiccups that occasionally escaped her gasping lips.

Her mother had placed a cup full of peach tea in front of her on the coffee table. She sat squished between her parents on the couch, wrapped in a blanket.

"T-t-thank…" she hiccuped, "Y-y-you."

Blake kept his arm around her and kissed her head, "Honey, what would you like us to do?"

Kit peeked up at him, blinking as more tears welled up. Was he being serious?

"W-what? What would _I_ like you to do!?" her lower lip trembled, "You're the one that said you'd take care of it!"

"All right, all right," Blake held his hands up, "Yes, I did say that."

"I can't believe the principal hasn't called about this!" Everly raged in disgust, "Who are these girls?"

"I already told you!" Kit wailed, "Lauren Mallory, Jessica Stanely, Ashley Dowling, and Katie Marshall!"

"Katie Marshall?" Everly gasped and Kit nodded, "I thought you guys were friends?"

"Obviously not," more tears rolled down Kit's cheeks and she picked up the teacup, "She…h-hates me."

A sob escaped her lips, "And the principal wouldn't even listen to me!" she continued, "I hate that school, and I hate everyone, and I'm never going back!"

She burst into more tears, jumping violently went she felt hot liquid spread down her front. She had dropped her teacup in her lap, spilling it on herself and onto the floor.

"You don't have to," Blake promised. He grasped her shoulder, "You know what? You're missing school all of next week!"

Kit was elated to hear that and sniffled, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She was so relieved at that, she thought she might start sobbing again.

"No she's not," Everly said, crushing Kit's spirit, "What are you talking about? She's not missing school for the week!"

"Mom-

"No, Kit," Everly interrupted her whining and patted her shoulder, "Blake, she can't miss anymore school, and she can't just stay home and hide away from these people. That's not how you deal with problems."

Kit swallowed thickly. She didn't care if it wasn't how you dealt with problems. She wanted it all to stop. She wanted to go back to Hampton and pretend like all of this had never happened.

She looked up at her father, hoping he'd argue or protest, but all he did was stare openly at his wife. After a long moment, he looked down at her with pitied eyes.

"Honey, go upstairs," he instructed, "Your mother and I are going to talk, okay?" he kissed her forehead and pushed on her back.

"M-mhm," she hiccuped, "I'm gonna take a shower and a nap…and then I-Indi h-has her s-soccer," she was trying not to cry again.

Her head was pounding as she stood up, the teacup landing on the floor. Luckily, it didn't break and she was thankful that her parents ceased their muttering to each other until she was safely in her room.

She dropped the blanket on the floor and kicked off her shoes, stripping off her clothes and not bothering to put them in the hamper. She and her parents would have to have a more in-depth discussion later. One where she wasn't sniveling and sobbing all over herself.

At least, she hoped it would happen later. She didn't want to ruin Indigo's big day with all of her drama. She needed to clean herself up and just deal with it until tomorrow.

Naked, she padded into the bathroom and cranked on the water, not bothering to wait for it to warm up. The top of her lip stung due to the snot and the constant rubbing of her nose on her sleeve.

She submerged herself under the water and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath that stuttered as she inhaled. Her stomach rumbled. She hadn't checked her blood sugar since that morning. She was hungry, but wasn't in the mood to eat. She just wanted to sleep.

When she finished with her shower, she toweled off shakily. Her head still felt heavy. She couldn't believe this had happened and not only that, but she had left school in the middle of the day! Was she going to get detention, now? Suspended? What if she got expelled?

She put on her pajamas and stepped over her clothes, padding down the stairs where she could still hear her parents talking.

"Mom? Daddy?" her voice trembled.

"Hi, honey," Everly greeted, gentle, "How are you feeling after your shower?"

Kit shrugged weakly, "Better, I guess. Am I going to get in trouble for leaving school?"

"No," Blake said immediately, "Don't worry, we'll call and handle it."

Kit nodded, though she had no idea what that consisted of, "I walked home," she informed them, "If Emmett calls, will you tell him I just…?" she shrugged again.

"You walked-" Blake's rising voice was cut off when Everly placed a hand on his arm.

"We'll discuss this later," Everly said firmly, "But if we hear from Emmett, we'll tell him that you're here with us, okay?"

"Thanks," Kit murmured, "I'm going to go to bed now. Will you wake me up when it's time to go, so that I can get dressed?"

"Mhm," Blake hummed, "Go on up to bed. Hey, wait, are you hungry? Do you want me to make you something?"

Kit felt more tears well up in her eyes and her shoulders slumped. She didn't want to eat, but needed to. She had no idea how much time she would have to eat before Indigo's soccer practice and she didn't want her blood sugar to drop while she was there.

In a small voice, she asked, "Can I have waffles before my nap?"

"Sure, Kit Kat," Everly smiled, "I'll bring it up to you, okay?"

Kit nodded again, lowering her head. She felt the muscles in her chin tremble as she started to cry again.

She felt arms envelope her and knew it was her mom by the faint scent of the cotton candy perfume that Kit had bought for Indigo to give to their mother for Mother's Day three years ago.

She only cried harder in her mom's arms, but she didn't hug back, her sobbing breaking apart so that she could gasp in recovering breaths.

"I'm so sorry that you had such a tough day," Everly said, her chin atop Kit's head, "I didn't know that all of this was happening. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I-I-I didn't want you...t-t-to w-w-worry," Kit squeaked, "I-I thought I-" yet, what followed was engulfed in tears, "I'm sorry!"

She hated herself for this and felt terrible about it. Usually, the regret from keeping this secret would come to her in quiet moments, such as when she was falling asleep or in the shower. But now it hit her full force and it broke her heart in two. She was an awful, horrible person. Part of her wondered, if she was going to be damned for this.

This was all of her fault and she took full responsibility for the pain that grew sharper. No amount of regret was going to turn back the clock. There was no way back. There was no way to make it right. She would just have to live with it and hope that everything was going to be okay after this.

Her father's voice, full of surety, pulled Kit out of her wallowing. She didn't lift her head as he spoke.

"The point is that we know now," Blake said, "I'm going to call all of those girls' parents. I bet the principal didn't call them either. Who's that other friend? Bella Swan. Her father's the police chief. I bet we could press charges for this!"

Kit raised her head, eyeing the dark stain on her mother's red shirt. The police!?

Everly twisted around, keeping her arms around Kit, "Blake, don't get all worked up," she scolded, "We're not involving the police. We'll call the parents first and talk to the principal. Let's not make a big show of this."

"Please don't," Kit begged. She wiped her nose on her sleeve again, "I don't want everyone knowing about it."

"By the sound of things, I doubt they want people knowing either," Everly agreed, "Go back upstairs, Kit, get some rest," she dropped her arms, "And drink some water, you're probably dehydrated."

Kit bobbed her head up and down and went back to her room. She had no idea what calling the parents would do. She hoped that they were nothing like their daughters. She didn't want her parents getting yelled at or anything.

With a sigh, she flopped down onto her bed, using her feet to push herself up further until her head was on her pillow. She adjusted her position and wormed her way under the covers, turning so that her back faced the door. Her head still hurt and she felt achy all over.

' _Now what's going to happen_?' she thought anxiously.

She was too nervous to close her eyes. She didn't want to chew on her nails or her lips, so she gnawed on the inside of her cheek instead.

Logically, she knew continuing to miss school couldn't be a long term plan, but she didn't know what to do. At least her parents were aware and she now wished she had told them sooner.

Working through the muddled thoughts in her brain, she recalled that her bag was still downstairs. Her cellphone was in the front pocket. She had come so close to showing someone the text messages. Had that scared Lauren and her entourage? Did that mean they were going to back off; or would things get worse because Kit had tried to tell? Whether they would believe her or not, Kit hadn't been the one to tell the principal that she was being bullied.

So, who had?

She buried her face in a pillow. She wanted to call her mom or dad up here and have them sit with her or give her a hug and tell her that everything was going to be okay. It made her feel like a child.

"I'm such a loser," she muffled into her pillow.

She winced her eyes shut, trying to cry again so that she could just do _something_ , but no more tears would come. It was like a void had replaced her stomach, making her feel empty both literally and figuratively.

She couldn't even pretend that everything was okay anymore.

* * *

Giggling madly, Lauren pulled Jessica into her large house, pulling her down to flop on the couch in the living room.

"Oh my God, she is _such_ a freakin' _loser_!" Jessica squealed loudly, "Did you _hear_ her!?"

"Jokes are supposed to be funny and I didn't find it funny," Lauren mocked, pretending to cry, "Shut _up_ , Kit, oh my God!"

"They've been bothering me all year!" Jessica added in a wailing tone, "I almost threw up! It's been, like, three fucking months, stop lying!"

"She's just trying to get more attention," Lauren insisted, straightening up, "Kit hasn't even been in Forks for a _year_ —not even _six months_! She needs to stop being so dramatic. Oh, woe is me!"

She laughed again. It always had to be about Kit and she was sick of it. First Bella had moved to town and everyone had fallen in love with the brunette who couldn't walk and breathe at the same time; Lauren hadn't understood it, especially when Bella started dating Edward. How had such a plain-looking loser managed _that_? The Cullens never talked to _anyone_ , yet here they were falling all over the Chief's daughter and treating her like family.

Then as if things weren't bad enough, Kit had moved to town and it was like a celebrity had arrived. She beat Bella by a long-shot. Kit, this stupid baby-faced freak with ugly eyes and freckles. A girl with ugly hair, who dressed like it was Halloween everyday and suddenly, it was all about her. Everyone stared and _all_ the boys asked her out—more than once. In less than two weeks, Kit was dubbed the sweetest person ever. She liked school and smiled at everyone. She helped a Freshman boy pick up his books once and she was a grade-grubbing freak who asked the teachers for extra credit to get her grades up to par and was apparently good at everything. When she snagged a Cullen, she didn't let it go to her head.

Tyler had joked that despite being a Sophomore, Kit was going to win Prom Queen. Over Kit's dead body. It was like Lauren didn't even exist.

She hated the way Kit strutted through the school with her back straight and head held high like she owned the place. If her clothes didn't draw attention—which rarely happened—then it was the prostitute heels that she wore. Seriously, what crazy person wore _six-inch heels_ around _Forks_!? She acted like she was a Rockefeller, the stuck up.

"Um, Lauren?"

Lauren, who had been examining her neon pink nails through her internal tirade, flicked her eyes up at Ashley. The black-haired girl still lingered by the door with Katie. They both looked stupid standing there shuffling their feet.

"What!?" she snapped, when Ashley didn't say anything, "Why do you guys look all depressed?" not that she cared.

Ashley and Katie shared a glance which only fueled Lauren's irritation and she looked at Jessica, seeing her less-popular friend cross her arms and quirk an eyebrow.

"You said," Ashley began, looking pointedly at Jessica, "That we weren't going to get in trouble."

Lauren picked at a hangnail, "And? Who got in trouble?"

Ashley's eyes almost bugged out of her head, "We were _just_ in the principal's office!" she exclaimed, "If it wasn't for Mr. Greene being stupid, Kit would have showed him the text messages."

"Well, she didn't," Jessica argued, "Stop bitching."

"What if he calls our parents?" Ashley popped her hip out and crossed her arms, "My mom is-

"Never going to find out," Jessica interrupted, annoyed, "The principal believes us, not that little liar-

"But…she's…not lying," Katie said in a breathless sort of way.

Lauren looked at Jessica and snickered, tilting her head so that her hair fell over her shoulder.

"I know right?" Jessica said in a false whisper, "Is she being serious?"

"What?" Katie asked nervously. She shifted her weight, blushing when even Ashley giggled at her.

Since Katie appeared to have suffered from a head injury, Lauren spoke to her as though she were two, unsure if Katie would understand anything else.

"Are you _friends_ with Kit?" she scowled fiercely at her.

Katie looked like she was going to shrug, but then she quickly shook her head.

"Um, no?" Katie said timidly, "Obviously not."

" _Obviously._ So if it's so damn _obvious_ , why would you _defend_ her?" Lauren questioned, eyebrows knitting as she tossed her hair.

"I'm not defending her!" Katie yelled, "But she's not lying, either. We all know it. She could still show Mr. Greene the texts. What if she shows her parents?"

"She's friends with Bella," Ashley added, looking anxious, "What if they, like, call the _police_? Chief Swan would believe his daughter and her friend over us."

Lauren rolled her eyes dramatically over to Jessica, "Sophomores…" she scoffed with a shake of her head, "Ugh."

"They're not going to call the police," she said, "And you know, if this was really bothering Kit, then why didn't she say something sooner? She's an attention whore and a drama queen. Who else would fake pass out in gym class? She misses school all the time and Jess overheard Mrs. Goff talking to Kit about her grades. Apparently, she'd rather hang with her boyfriend than do homework. She's not exactly a trustworthy student. She's all drama."

It looked like Ashley was going to respond, but then the phone rang, echoing through the house.

"It's probably my dad," Lauren scoffed, grabbing the home phone off the hook near the television, "Watch this."

She pressed the green button, holding it to her ear, "Hello?" she asked in a sweet voice.

" _Hi_ , _is this Mrs. Mallory?_ "

Lauren frowned deeply at the handsome voice she didn't recognize. Pressing a finger to her lips, she took the phone from her ear and pressed a few buttons.

"I'm sorry," she said, louder, "Hello?"

" _Can you hear me_?" the voice echoed over the speaker phone.

"Yeah, sorry," Lauren said again, "Um, who is this?"

" _I'm looking for Mrs. or Mr. Mallory_ ," the voice said again, " _Can you put them on the phone or have one of them call me back_ , _please_? _It's important_."

Lauren looked at Jessica, then at Ashley and Katie who had stepped closer.

"Sure," Lauren said with an eye roll, "Can I get a name?"

" _Blake Algren_."

Lauren's eyes widened and she made a cutting motion against her throat when Katie gasped.

"Shit," she heard Jessica whisper.

"Blake Algren," Lauren drawled out, making it sound like she was writing something down, "Okay, got it. My parents will call you back."

" _Thank you_ ," Blake Algren said curtly, then hung up.

"Oh my God!" Ashley squealed, "You _see_!? I _told_ you!"

"Shut up," Lauren hung up the phone and began to dial a number, "You don't need to worry. Listen…"

Still on speaker, the phone began to ring. It only rang twice before another male voice answered. This one deeper.

" _Hey_ , _Laur_ , _what do you need_?" Mr. Mallory asked. " _I'm at work_."

"I know, daddy, but I needed to tell you something," Lauren stuck her lower lip out, forcing a pout into her voice, "Something happened at school, today…"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **Kind of a heavy chapter, I know. Honestly (and here's a FictionChic Fun Fact): the scene between Kit and the principal is very personal to me and hard for me to write. Despite me writing the character, I feel so bad for Kit and I hope you guys were able to empathize or feel something from this chapter.**

 **Again and here's another warning for those who didn't see my note, this story is rated ' _M_ ' for a reason and contains triggering topics. That is your warning. Please, keep yourselves safe and stay strong.**

 **Side note: If you're going to stop reading my story, then just stop reading it. You guys don't need to leave a million reviews saying you're going to do so. I've put in my warnings and it's your personal issue if it's still too much. I'm very content with my story and it will continue to how I see fit.**

 **~ FictionChic**


	30. Be My Friend, Hold Me

Everly sighed dramatically up at the ceiling, her head falling back down to eye her daughter, "I'm not going to tell you again. Eat your breakfast, Kit."

Kit frowned, continuing to push her eggs around, "No. I'm not hungry."

It was Monday morning and she was the only one at the table with her parents. She had spent her weekend, with her cellphone off and curtains closed in her room. She had cried some more, then pulled herself together for her annual weekend tea party with Indigo, then returned to her room to "study." In reality, that consisted of lots of laying there and lots of sleeping. She hadn't even showered until 9:00PM on Sunday.

This morning, breakfast conversation was all about Indigo's first soccer practice that had been on Friday. She had been great, Kit thought. She was so cute in her little uniform and it was fun watching her with Melody. All the little kids were precious and it was nice seeing all the other parents and siblings there.

"Kit-

"I don't understand," Kit interrupted her father and placed her fork down, "Why I can't stay home? Why can't I have _one_ day?"

"Because you've already _had_ days," Everly responded, sounding tired, "Your grades are plummeting and if you don't have enough attendance then you're not going to graduate and you'll have to repeat the year."

"I don't care," Kit grumbled childishly.

"Yes you do," Everly said. She pointed her fork at Kit's plate, "Eat your breakfast."

"I'm not hungry," Kit repeated. She wasn't trying to be difficult, she really wasn't hungry, feeling a severe lack of appetite.

Everly, fed up, snapped, "Kit, stop pouting because you're not getting your way. You're not three years old!"

"Everly," Blake gasped, appalled.

"You _have_ to go to school," Everly continued, "It's the law. Besides, I don't want you getting any further into the habit of avoiding your problems."

Kit pushed her plate away. She wanted to cry and hid her hands under the table to scratch at her wrist.

Her father sighed loudly, but she didn't look up at her parents. If she looked at them, then she would start to cry and she was so sick of crying. Crying didn't solve anything and only gave her a headache. She had no idea what she was going to do when Emmett picked her up.

"Well, Kit, I'm going to your school, today," Blake told her gently, "And I'm going to talk to your principal."

"That's great," Kit said shortly with the smallest of shrugs, "Can I be done, now?"

"Did you check your blood sugar?" Blake asked.

Kit shook her head. For the past few days, she had been lazy about checking it.

"Can you do that, please?" he asked patiently, "And at least take a few bites. You need to eat."

Kit slumped back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest.

Blake leaned towards her and in a low voice said, "Not eating isn't going to fix anything. Tell me, what's skipping breakfast—what's that going to do for you?"

"Ugh, I don't care!" Kit raged, pushing away from the table. She didn't look back as she turned on her heel, face crumpling as she stormed up to her room.

She closed the door and fell face down onto her bed, a small sob escaping right when the doorbell rang. She gave herself another moment, then furiously wiped her tears and hurried into the bathroom. While she knew Emmett probably heard her, she didn't want him to see her like this. Not again.

She turned on the tap and bent over the sink to splash cold water on her face, then drank straight from the tap before she peered at her reflection in the mirror, water dripping down her face.

' _Get it together_ , _Kit_ ,' she chided herself, ' _Please_ , _please_ , _just stop being like this_. _Just be normal for_ _ **one**_ _day_.'

She stood on the brink of something she couldn't describe, but she never said a word. At least, until Friday. It was so unbelievably hard for her to talk about her problems. She didn't want to sound whiny or ungrateful or annoying, but it seemed like that's all she had accomplished while trying to keep that secret.

She felt empty and unhappy. Even in a moment of happiness, the negativity left its residue, waiting to come back full force and rear it's ugly head. She didn't know what to do with it.

' _I need to talk to Carlisle again_ ,' she decided and racked her brain for a time she could see him without listening ears. She could go after school. Not today because Emmett was picking her up. Tomorrow?

' _I can't go to his house after school_ , _everyone will be there_ ,' she blotted her face with a towel, ' _And I can't just show up at the hospital_. _I should probably call him_.'

Her cheeks colored at the thought of speaking with the doctor again. What would she say to him? What could he do besides offer her help? Carlisle had already mentioned that he could recommend a therapist or treatment. He was a doctor, not a…a—she didn't know what the word was, but there was only so much that he could do.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she moaned, covering her face with her hands.

Her mind was going a million miles a minute and if her thoughts were visible, they'd be a giant explosion that would destroy all of Washington State. It hurt, all the thoughts, and she couldn't make sense of any of them. With the thought process, came all these emotions that she didn't want to feel.

"It's too much," she groaned into her hands. She only wished to stay home and sleep all day.

' _I need to pull myself together_ ,' she repeated and took a deep breath, ' _Don't overthink because daddy's going to talk to the school and then we'll see what happens_. _Okay_ , _okay_ …' she inhaled again and removed her hands fully from her face.

She braced her hands on the counter, turning her head when there was a knock at the bathroom door. She figured it was her father or her mother, coming to either scold her for her outburst or give her a quick pep talk before she went downstairs to go to school.

"I'm coming, I'm—" she tilted her head all the way back when she opened the bathroom door, "Emmett?" she hadn't expected him, "Um, hey?"

"Hey," he greeted her with an easy grin, "Surprise! Your parents sent me up here. What's going on?"

"I…" she stuttered, then paused. It was always about her and her drama. She felt like she needed to tell him, but she didn't want to burden him anymore than she already had. She had yet to tell him everything of her appointment with Carlisle.

"I…" she said again, "I don't know."

She stared at Emmett and he stared at her, in all likelihood, waiting for her to elaborate. There was a lot she could have said, but it was also a lot to pick from. She fought to differentiate the most important thought and opened her mouth so say something, but no sound came out.

"Um, I'm sorry," she finally managed with a slight shake of her head, "I'm all frazzled," she shook her head again and touched her forehead with an awkward laugh, "Gosh, I can't think straight."

"I kind of figured," Emmett chuckled, "You know you're not wearing shoes…?"

She looked down at herself, shocked. She wore a long-sleeved light khaki blouse with a daring v-neck cut that buttoned up and had a ribbon tied around the waist. She wore it tucked into a pair of high-waisted jeans. She had been dressing more simple lately in hopes to draw less attention to herself. She would forgo accessories except for her grandmother's locket.

There had to be something, she figured. That had drawn Lauren and the others girls towards her.

"Oh," she mumbled. She wiggled her toes, "Goodness, I'm barefoot."

She went to her closet and looked around for a minute until she found the pair she was looking for. They were chocolate brown faux leather double strap Mary Janes with pointed closed toes and a two inch heel.

She slipped them on and buttoned the two straps, turning to Emmett when she was finished. She smiled when she saw that he had her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Do these look okay?" she asked him.

"They look perfect," he said with a one-sided smile.

Kit giggled when he wrapped an arm around her back, pulling her forward to kiss her. When they separated, she noticed the huge grin on his face and she couldn't help but smile back.

"What?" she asked. He was so cute.

"We're going out tonight," he announced cheerfully.

Her eyebrows lifted. This was the first she had heard of that.

"We are?" she asked him, "Tonight?"

"Tonight," he confirmed with a nod, "I already got the a-okay from your parents downstairs."

She blinked, then smiled and bounced on her toes. That sounded wonderful. No school drama or talks of anything negative. Just her and Emmett.

"Yay!" she declared with a giggle, "Is this the special date you talked about?"

"Yup," he popped the 'p', "And before you ask where I'm taking you…it's a surprise."

She scrunched her nose, a little disappointed at that, but she had expected it coming from him. Emmett Cullen, she had learned, was big on surprises.

"Okay," she agreed easily.

"I'll pick you up at six o'clock?" he asked.

She nodded. She was glad to have this to look forward to. It was going to be a rough day. She could tell by the invisible weight she felt pressing down on her hunched shoulders. Her father would be going to the school during lunch. She had requested that Blake try and not be seen. People already talked about her to her face and she didn't need anyone talking about her behind her back. The whispers about her clothes had stopped within her first month at the high school.

"Perfect," she answered him, then leaned in for a hug.

They stood like that, Emmett holding her and she tried to press herself closer, wanting comfort without having to ask for it. She didn't have long for them to be together like this. How much time had passed since Emmett had come into her room? Any second, her father would come storming up the stairs.

"Y'sure you're all right, baby?" she felt Emmett speak the words into her hair.

"Yes," she said through a sigh, "I just don't want you to let go, yet."

He chuckled, "Want me to carry you downstairs?"

"I'm thinking about it."

She laughed and gave herself another moment before she reluctantly let her arms fall to her side, politely taking her satchel from Emmett's large hand.

"Let's get this show on the road," she proclaimed, letting Emmett wrap an arm around her waist, "What have you been up to?"

"This and that," Emmett said, making Kit scowl.

"What does that mean?"

He shrugged, "Nothing really changes. I kicked Jazz's ass in ' _Call of Duty 2_.'

Kit's nose scrunched again. While watching TV, she had often changed the channel or covered Indigo's eyes when the violent advertisements came on.

"Oh, and we'll be going out of town soon," Emmett informed her as the descended the stairs, "The whole family, I think. Next weekend."

Hunting, Kit realized. Emmett's eyes had darkened and were almost black, the shadows beneath them pronounced. She had never seen them like that.

"Okay…" she trailed off, when she saw her parents and swallowed thickly. Oh yeah, school.

"Bye, honey," Blake went forward and hugged Kit.

She stood there, "Bye."

"You can't let the bullies win," Everly said, trying to be positive, "Today's going to be fine."

"Mhm," Kit hummed. The weight increased on her shoulders and she felt…low, "I guess."

"You," Blake pointed at Emmett, "Can you remind her to check her blood sugar, please?"

Emmett gave him a two-finger salute, "Yes, Sir."

Everly and Kit recited their usual goodbye mantra, Kit with a little less enthusiasm as she left, walking ahead of Emmett and getting into the car.

"That was tense," Emmett commented, buckling into the driver's seat, "You and your parents fighting?"

"No," Kit gasped, looking at him, "No, it's been a rough couple of days. It should get better soon."

' _I hope_ ,' she added silently while turning to speak to Emmett, "Will you tell me more about ' _Call of Dut_ _y_ '?"

Emmett looked at her suspiciously, "Huh, what about it? Do you want me to teach you how to play?"

In all reality, Kit didn't want him to teach her how to play. She didn't like video games and this one in particular sounded boring and too violent for her nature. But Emmett liked them a lot and while she couldn't be sure they would be her favorite thing in the world, she wanted to know what Emmett found so appealing about them. There weren't many things that he liked that she could fully participate in and she wanted to do that. Who knew? Maybe they would grow on her and she would like them.

"I do," she confirmed, "Do you have to start with the first one to play the second one or does it not matter?"

"If you don't care about the plot, it doesn't matter, but I _have_ to teach you chess first," he said, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, "We keep putting it off. I can bring the chessboard over at night and we can play before bed."

Kit liked that idea. It sounded like a nice way to pass the time on nights she couldn't sleep, "That sounds lovely!"

She reached over and Emmett removed one hand off the steering wheel to hold hers. She squeezed. She was so blessed to have him in her life and extremely grateful. More than she could ever express. She wished she could tell him, but was worried it would sound weird. She didn't want him to think that she was clingy or anything.

"You know what I was thinking about?" she asked Emmett out of the blue.

Emmett pouted a little, "I can't read minds," he told her, making her laugh.

"No, I know," she chuckled, "My sister was watching another soccer game and there was some kind of advertisement for a baseball game. That's what I was thinking of. When can we play baseball again? But…er, without the… _extra_ guests?"

Emmett's booming laugh shook the car and Kit used her free hand to grab the car's sill. She had to pull her other hand away when it started to hurt from Emmett's skin temperature.

"You _want_ to play baseball again?" he asked disbelievingly, "You mean, you're not traumatized?"

"I don't think I'm traumatized," Kit said, unsure and blinking with wide eyes, "I don't know, but I liked the beginning. Being the referee with Esme and Bella was nice."

Emmett eyed her again, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement, "That's my girl. Soon, maybe. We'll have to wait for a thunderstorm, but you're so busy."

' _Say something flirty_!' her mind screamed at her.

"Not all the time," she blurted. So much for being flirty, "No, you're right, I'm so busy," she paused to sigh, but thought of something else, "Huh. OH!" she gasped loudly, "I forgot to tell you!"

"Tell me what!?" Emmett demanded, forcing the same amount of excitement in his tone.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe I forgot to tell you," Kit rambled, suddenly excited, "I got the _perfect_ gift for my dad for his birthday!"

* * *

Jasper brushed his slightly damp hair out of his face. It was drizzling outside where he walked, heading back towards the high school cafeteria. He had been in the bathroom, hacking up the lunch that sat like a rock in his stomach.

" _No_. _Why can't I go with you_?"

The honey blonde faltered in his steps, then stopped all together. He knew that voice, though it was clogged with tears.

" _ **Because**_ , _Kit_ ," that was Blake, Kit's father, " _We talked about_ _it_ _this morning and all_ _weekend_. _You cannot miss anymore school_. _That's unacceptable_."

A wave of anguish hit Jasper. So hard, that he had to clutch his chest. He felt the emotion at the same time he heard her let out a sob.

" _But I don't want to stay here_!" she wailed.

Her sobs were suddenly muffled and Jasper had to guess that Blake had hugged her.

Kit considered herself decent at hiding her emotions from others and perhaps she was, but not with him. He knew. He could feel the depression that was always there—so thick that it made her feel empty. He felt how erratic her moods were starting to become. Pain flowed out of her every pore. She was sad, depressed, humiliated, and angry all the time, even if she refused to acknowledge it.

He supposed it didn't matter. Because whatever emotion she felt, they no longer had any substance behind them. They were flat and drained, like a used tea bag.

Like the rest of his family, he was aware that Kit was being bullied at school, but he had no clue why it would make her distraught at this particular moment or why her father was here.

" _Don't ever let them see you cry_ ," he heard Blake tell her, " _You don't let those kinds of people see you like that_. _You can't let them intimidate you_."

That only appeared to make Kit cry harder and Jasper gritted his teeth, sucking in air that he didn't need. He should have tried to calm her or walk away. He had no business eavesdropping like he was.

Kit was a right sweetheart. He supposed that they were friends, though it had never been spoken aloud. He had liked her emotions around the time when they had first met. He liked how blunt she was about their kind. He could tolerate her scent better than others and Alice adored her just like Bella. It also helped that Kit had gone face-to-face with Peter and Charlotte. Sometime after they left, they had actually asked about her.

He recalled some of the conversation he had had with her back in the hotel room in Phoenix during Spring Break. He had said, during that time, that if Kit continued not to eat that she would have an appointment with his father and he had been right. Her anxiety was worse and he was still concerned. Even more so than when he had admitted it back in the hotel room.

With that in mind, he knew he couldn't stay for long. It was too painful for him. He wondered if he should say something to her. He wasn't going to ask if she was okay. Coming from him, that was a stupid question. He knew Kit wasn't okay and not only due to the fact that she was bawling her eyes out. She hadn't been okay for awhile and her emotional state kept deteriorating.

He heard Blake's breath leave his body in loud frustration and then he said, " _You can't miss anymore school_ _Kit_ , _seriously_. _I want to take you home with me because you look like a mess and I hate seeing you so upset_ , b _ut if you miss anymore school_ , _you might have to repeat the year and you don't want that_. _Julliard remember_? _You and Willa and Jessi_ , _right_? _Together_."

Jasper left. He had no business listening to this conversation and his gift could only take so much, especially when it came to the more negative emotions and those who felt their emotions more intensely than others.

When he returned to the lunchroom to sit with his two sisters, he was greeted with a scowl from both of them.

"There you are," Alice kicked his chair out for him to sit, "I was starting to worry!"

He smiled easily at her, "I'm okay, darlin'," he took her hand, "I took a small detour."

Rosalie flicked an eyebrow up, "Oh, yeah?"

Jasper's eyes darted to Rosalie, then back to his scarred hand that held Alice's. Rosalie completely resented Kit and Bella. Anytime someone brought up their names, she scoffed, rolled her eyes, hissed or pretended to gag. It was ridiculous and there was no point to it. By now, Kit and Bella knew too much. Either they died or became vampires and Jasper knew that Bella was leaning heavily towards the vampire option.

"Yeah," he supplied in his Southern twang.

* * *

At exactly 6:00PM, Emmett pulled into Kit's driveway. He had forgone the usual silver car he drove with Kit and had borrowed Carlisle's car.

He wanted this to be a special night. Having no desire to completely torture Kit anymore than she already was at school, he had absolutely _no_ plans to take her to prom in late May. She would hate it and he would probably hate it, having gone to a million proms, already. Though Rosalie was hinting that she wanted to go and he was thinking of taking her.

Emmett usually dressing more casual, had decided to wear a white button-up under a black v-neck sweater with dark pants and black shoes.

He went up to the door and lingered. Already, he could hear rustling and talking come from inside the house. From Kit's bedroom.

" _Kit_ , _you look_ _ **fine**_ ," he heard Everly chastise with a laugh, " _And your hair looks cute_. _It hasn't been this long in a couple of years_."

" _I'm growing it out_ ," was Kit's answer. He could hear her heartbeat and smell the blush rising to her cheeks, "… _I should change_. _I'm changing_."

Everly laughed again, speaking through the happy sound, " _No_ - _ooo_ - _ooo_. _Honey_ , _you look great_! _Seriously_ , _if you change one more time you're going to start working up a sweat_. _You don't have time to_ _change_ , _anyway_. _It's already six and I bet Emmett will be here any minute_."

Smirking, Emmett chuckled and decided to take that as his cue. He went forward and knocked on the door, laughing to himself when he heard Kit gasp.

" _Yeah_!?"

That was Blake's keen shout and Emmett wasn't sure if that meant he was allowed to walk straight into the house or not. He hadn't been aware that the door was unlocked.

He waited a full five seconds before going into the house and shutting the door. He turned the corner where he found Blake hunched over on the couch typing furiously on a laptop computer. A vein bulged from his neck as his blue eyes, covered by his glasses, darted from the screen to the camera that was connected by a gray cord.

"Hey, Blake h-

"KITEMMETT'SHERE!" Blake roared in one breath.

Emmett blinked furiously, then looked down when someone tugged on his sleeve. It was Indigo and he smiled warmly at her.

"Hey, kiddo," he ruffled her hair, then picked her up. She may be too big for anyone else to lift her, but not for him.

"What's up?" he asked her.

"Daddy took too long to start his project and now he's late," Indigo said with a giggle, "So, he's all crabby."

"I see," Emmett stepped away to let Blake work and went to stand by the door, "What have you been up to?"

Indigo's eyes lit up, "Soccer! My friend Melody is on the team and because we're girls, we wear light blue uniforms and the boys wear dark green and…"

The small Algren talked so fast that Emmett wondered if her tongue ever hurt. Indigo seemed to never run out of breath as she went on and on and on. He didn't mind. Sports were sports and he thought it was cool that Indigo was interested in them.

It was too bad she couldn't come watch him and his family play. She probably would have enjoyed that.

"Anyway…" Indigo concluded, "What have you been up to?"

"Building stuff," Emmett decided to supply. He had been working on building more sports equipment with Jasper.

Indigo tilted her head to the side, smiling mischievously, "What kind of stuff?"

"Sports stuff," Emmett smiled back at her, "Maybe you'll be able to see one day."

He laughed when Indigo scrunched her nose up at him and teased her, "Ya' look like your sister when you do that," he said, to which Indigo was delighted, "Speaking of, where is she? If she doesn't come down, I might just take you with me. We can get ice cream."

Indigo laughed, but then her face fell and she let go of one of his huge shoulders to crook a small finger towards her, beckoning him in her direction.

Dramatic and wide-eyed, Emmett leaned in closer, tensing when Indigo cupped her hand around his ear.

"She had a really bad day," she whispered before pulling back.

She spoke again just as he opened his mouth, "But she doesn't like talking about it because it makes her feel worse, so will you make sure to have a lot of fun—oh and make her laugh-

"Indigo!" Blake warned from the living room, "That's enough."

Emmett frowned as Indigo's face fell even more as her cheeks heated up. It looked like she was going to cry.

He didn't like that. He knew Kit had a rough day. She had left the cafeteria to go the bathroom and had been gone until the last five minutes of lunch. When he saw her, he could tell that she had been crying, but hadn't pushed her. Now, Indigo was only trying to help. She wanted to look out for Kit. She wanted Kit to be happy because she knew Kit wasn't.

Trying to cheer her up, Emmett jostled her in his arms a bit to get her attention. When she lifted her head, he quirked his lips up in a smile.

"Thanks for telling me," he whispered to her, then winked.

One side of Indigo's mouth turned up and she squeezed her eyes shut for barely a second. Her own version of winking.

Finally, he heard footsteps coming closer to the stairs and he pecked Indigo on her forehead, then set her down, giving her a gentle pat on the head just as Kit and Everly came into view, Kit's lip between her teeth.

Kit wore a long-sleeved white shirt under a soft green suspender skirt speckled with white and red knit purl print. There were giant white buttons on the ends to hook onto the wide banded high waist and she wore a pair of faux cork white leatherette peep toe wedge sandals. Her hair, she or Everly had managed to pull into a short french braid with a small green bow at the end. The new hairstyle exposed more of her face.

"Hey there, beautiful," he greeted her as his chest warmed as it did every time he saw her.

"Hi," she said shyly as she hopped off the last step and into his arms, "You look great!"

"You do too," he set her down, "Hello, Everly."

"Hi, honey," Everly said. There was a crease between her brows and her eyes looked passed them all at Blake, "Um, 9:00PM, please."

"Yes, ma'am," Emmett drawled. He had never missed Kit's curfew.

Indigo bounced on her toes, piping up, "Take a picture, take a picture!"

"Aww, I should take a picture!" Everly gushed like it had been all her idea, "Blake come take a picture!"

Emmett snickered when Kit groaned out an "Oh my gosh." He wrapped his arm around her waist. He really liked Kit's parents. They were cool to put it in blatant terms.

"Darling I'm working on something…" Blake responded.

"We need a picture," Everly insisted, "If Emmett and Kit get kidnapped or murdered we're going to need a picture to give to the authorities."

Emmett looked down at Kit, then at Indigo, but neither one of them seemed fazed by this. He knew dark humor was a common theme in this family—something that he was all for and by now, he was used to the way Kit's family said disturbing things with ease.

With an annoyed grunt, Blake safely disconnected the camera from its cord and powered it on.

"Thank you, honey," Everly said sweetly, batting, her eyelashes.

"Mhm," Blake hummed sarcastically, though he kissed Everly on the lips.

"Okay, you two," Blake lazily gestured towards Emmett and Kit, "Get together."

Emmett pulled Kit close to him and smiled at the camera and right when Blake was about to take the picture, he sighed and dropped the camera to his side.

"You didn't take the picture!" Kit accused.

Blake's head dropped down to Indigo and he gave her a look, "Do you see the problem here?"

"Kitty's too short," Indigo declared, completely straight-faced.

"Okay, wow, I'm sorry, can you give me five minutes while I grow a thousand inches?" Kit scoffed sarcastically, "I'm already wearing four inch—ahhh!"

Emmett, who had swept Kit up into his arms, laughed as he looked at Kit and she laughed too, mostly in surprise.

"What are you _doing_?" she squealed at him, quickly wrapping her arms around his neck, "You know, this doesn't technically make me taller."

Emmett responded by pressing his lips to hers, being mindful that her parents were watching. It was true, she only came up to his chest in this position.

"We need to get going," he said. They should have left fifteen minutes ago.

"Oh gosh, I'm keeping you," Everly covered her mouth with her hands, "And it's your special night. Okay, okay, get going, get going. You see, Kit Kat, this is why I insisted we say goodbye upstairs."

' _Ah_ , _now I see where the kid gets it from_ ,' Emmett thought at the speed of Everly's words.

"Bye dadd…" Kit trailed off when she realized Blake was no longer in the room.

"Yes, uh-huh, bye Kit," Blake muttered in a monotone from the living room.

Emmett watched Kit shake her head, then kneel down to say goodbye to Indigo.

"You should be in bed by the time I get back," Kit told her, "I'll see you in the morning, sweetheart."

"Okay," Indigo wrapped her arms around Kit's neck, hugging her tightly, "I love you!"

"I love you too, be safe," Kit kissed her cheek and Emmett held out a hand to help her up.

"See ya', kiddo," he told Indigo, "Nice chattin' with ya'," he winked at her and Indigo blinked back at him.

Taking Kit's hand, he led her out to the car and wasn't surprised when she stopped to stare.

"That's Carlisle's car, isn't it?" she asked him.

"It is," Emmett confirmed with a nod. He opened the passenger door for her, "He let me borrow it. I told you…it's our 'special date'."

He wanted to dart to the driver's side, but walked impatiently at a human pace, getting into the car and buckling his seat belt.

"And you're not going to tell me the special part, are you?" Kit teased him.

Emmett watched her, expertly pulling out of the driveway without having to look.

Kit was so beautiful and Emmett was sure he would never get tired of looking at her. Not only was she beautiful, but Kit was just intriguing. That was the only word he could think of to describe how incredibly unique he thought she was.

He took her hand, "You. You're the special part."


	31. We're Running Through The Garden

When Emmett drove past the bright green sign that read ' _Seattle_ ' in white letters, Kit's mouth fell open. They had only been driving twenty minutes and last time she had Googled it, it took at least three hours to reach the city by car.

"I told you," Emmett said as if reading her thoughts, "We were going to be late."

She kept facing forward, afraid to see how fast he was really going. How had they not been pulled over? Did cops somehow miraculously disappear when the Cullen's were on the road?

"I haven't been to Seattle, yet," she informed him, "Where are we going? The Space Needle?"

He snorted, "Cliché," he waved it off, "It's too high up, anyway."

' _Duh_ ,' she thought, scolding herself, but she was a little relieved.

For the rest of the way to the secret destination, she didn't guess. The Space Needle was the only place she could think of. What else was in Seattle? There was the dance studio that Willa and Jessi attended, but Kit highly doubted that Emmett was taking her there.

"Eep!" she squeaked, slamming into the side of the door when Emmett took a sharp turn, "Ow! Emmett!"

"My bad," he apologized, patting her knee, "I had to cut that car off real quick to get the turn. Anyway, we're here."

"We are?" she looked through the windshield. There was a ticket booth beside a beautiful wooden archway. She had to squint to see through the tinted windshield.

"Come on," she startled at Emmett's voice, looking up to see that he had already opened her door, "You'll see when we're…er…inside, I guess."

She glanced at the hand he held out, then nodded and took it, "Okay."

Now that she was out of the car, she looked up again, able to see more clearly. In the middle of the wooden arch, was a black sign that read: ' _Seattle Japanese Garden_ ,' in pretty writing.

"We came late," Emmett explained as he tugged her forward, "And it's a Monday, so there won't be too many people around."

' _Aww_ ,' she thought warmly as she nodded and smiled at the women who worked at the ticket booth. They went in hand-in-hand, walking along a smooth concrete path.

"Oh, wow," Kit breathed, eyes growing wide.

All at once, it was like someone had transported her to some magical fairyland.

It was beautiful and it made her sad that 'beautiful' was the only word she could think of to describe this wonderland. There were so many paths and signs to follow and she took a look around at all the nature that welcomed her.

There were so many trees. With trunks gnarled, twisted, massive girth, straight, leaning, branched, smooth, slender, knotted, green with moss, shaggy, silver, interlacing roots protruding from the soil in great loops and ridges. Sprawling branches, stiff branches, overhanging branches.

Overcast weather or not, it was still spring. The grass whispered in the slight breeze and most of the trees were clothed in white and pink blossom. The air was pungent with their fragrance and when their petals rained down, getting caught in her hair or on her shoulder, it made her feel like a princess.

"There's…so much," she breathed, "Wow…"

They passed under a trail of trees that exploded in red, looking like giant red puffs atop their trunks.

She took a moment to observe a sculpted azalea bush, then looked up at Emmett. He looked unbothered as he led her to another path, but she wondered if that was really the case or if he was just too good at being human.

"Are you okay?" she asked, briefly distracted by a bird flying overhead, "Do the smells bother you?"

"Not really," he shrugged, squeezing her hand, "It's really strong, but I can hold my breath."

She nodded and walked closer to him, letting go of his hand when Emmett wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Will you tell me more about your life as a vampire?" she inquired softly just in case she could be overheard.

"Sure," he chirped easily, "What about it?"

"Mmmm," she hummed, "Do you have a favorite memory?"

"Seeing you for the first time," Emmett said, blinking at her as if she had asked a dumb question.

Kit arched an eyebrow at him, giving him a look. That wasn't exactly the answer she had been looking for, "Be serious."

He gave her the same look, "I am being serious."

She still had a hard time believing it, "So, your favorite memory in all the years that you've lived," she stopped when he nodded, "Is me literally almost breaking my nose bumping into you?" he nodded again.

"Well, yeah," Emmett said, "It was the best day of my existence."

He spoke in his musical tenor with nothing but sincerity and Kit's voice caught in her throat. She couldn't believe that he had said that. She wanted to jump up and down, cry, blush and maybe kiss him a little.

"What did you think?" Emmett baited, bumping her with his hip, "When you first saw me?"

Kit felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she turned her head away, looking at the trees. They were walking on an empty path and she couldn't see much of the colorful garden, anymore. Where were they going?

"You don't want to hear about it," she tried to tuck her hair, but remembered that it was in a braid, "It's weird."

"No, tell me!" Emmett whined, gently shaking their intertwined hands, "Pretty, please-

"-With a grizzly on top?" she finished coyly, turning to smile at him.

She snickered when he grinned widely at her, wagging his eyebrows.

"Okay, okay," she finally gave in, when he stuck his lower lip out.

"Yes!" he pumped his fist in the air, "Tell me."

"Okay, um…" she started, her cheeks still warm, "I almost bumped into you and then you grabbed my arms to keep me from falling. I thought you were really cold and then I looked up and saw your eyes…"

"My gorgeous, gorgeous eyes," he interjected, winking at her.

"And I thought they were _gorgeous_ ," Kit agreed with a smile, "And then I noticed, um…the rest of you," Emmett chuckled and she continued, "Then, after school, I was driving home and I thought of you again. I thought you were ginormous and about how different your skin was and how sharp your teeth were, but it was okay because you were so nice and…"

"…And?" Emmett pushed when she didn't keep talking.

"And I figured that if Alice hadn't spoken, I could have looked into your eyes for hours—oh my gosh, that's so creepy!" her faced heated up even more, "Is that weird?"

"No," Emmett assured her, "Not at all."

Kit bit her lip shyly. This conversation had taken quite the turn and feeling bolder, she queried, "When's the first time you realized that you were in love with me?"

"Easy," Emmett said, "When you ate lunch with me for the first time and told me why you're a vegetarian," he laughed, "I've fallen in love with you a lot of times."

She faltered in her steps, "You have?"

"Of course," he said, again, like it should have been obvious, "That's shocking to you?"

She didn't know how to respond to that. It was shocking to her in many ways. For one, Emmett wasn't much of a mushy, feely person and she thought he would've gotten tired of her by now. Especially lately and when her troubles at school came to light and continued to get worse.

She had always wanted someone to fall in love with her like that. Where it happens over and over as they found out new habits the other had or found out something new about each other. It was just like her parents' relationship. She was a hopeless romantic.

"Kind of," she answered his question, "But it makes me really happy."

"Here we are," Emmett announced suddenly, for the second time that evening.

Kit snapped her head up and gasped at the sight before her. They were definitely off the path that they had been walking on.

They were in the center of the whole garden and even in the dullness of the overcast sky, Kit could see everything. It was quite a sight. So many flowers and colors and floral scents. She had a hard time processing it all.

In the center there was a pond as large as a small lake with flowering lily pads and a wooden bridge that crossed the middle so you could look down at the koi carp and the cranes that caused ripples in the water. From across the pond, the cherry blossom tress looked purple and it was a beautiful contrast to the opaque green pond surface. She could see the lily pads in bloom, their white or magenta petals catching the breeze.

"Can we go on the bridge?" she asked Emmett, looking to see if she could spot a sign that warned visitors from doing that.

"Yeah, come on," he took her hand.

It was so peaceful, Kit thought. She couldn't see anyone else, but doubted that she and Emmett were the only ones in the whole garden. She marveled at how many acres it had to be. It would take a day or two to get through to take in the whole place. Maybe longer.

Here, the blossomed tress dragged downwards, their blossoms skimming the surface of the water. The light petals floated and she followed them with her eyes.

Emmett came to stand right beside her and she laid her head on his arm, taking in the beauty that surrounded them.

"What was your sister's favorite flower?" she whispered, "Do you remember?"

"Lila?" Emmett mumbled, "Daisies. We'd always have'ta go outta town to get 'em. So, she'd get a big bunch of 'em for her birthday. You know, she hated lilacs…for obvious reasons."

Kit noticed that whenever Emmett talked about his past, his voice always changed. It wasn't something that she was going to point out, but she thought it was interesting. There was no Irish accent per se, nor was it necessarily a Tennessee accent. His voice just sounded…older as if he were still in the 1900's.

"Daisies, huh?" she mused in a light voice, "Who was your favorite brother?"

"HA-HA!" Emmett laughed, tilting his head back, "Good God, it was Jonah, hands down, the jerk. He was only a year older than me and we'd gamble and drink and…"

She tore her eyes away from a swimming fish when Emmett stopped. He was still staring straight ahead, but he looked apprehensive, his lips pressed together.

"What?" she asked him, "And what?" she pressed.

But he shook his head, his mood changed, "Nah. You don't want to hear it."

She blinked once, "But I do," she said in surprise, "That's why I asked, silly."

When he still didn't respond, she twisted to place her hand on his chest and said softly, "You can tell me anything, Em. I mean it."

"We'd womanize, I guess—if that's what you want to call it," Emmett said slowly, "Me more than him. He preferred the gambling."

' _Womanize_ ,' Kit thought after a moment, ' _So he's_ … _ **been**_ _with a lot of women_.'

In retrospect, she could see why Emmett would be hesitant to tell her, but it didn't make her feel upset or jealous. All the women he had been with had occurred when she hadn't been born. Her _parents_ hadn't even been born yet.

He wasn't that person anymore. She and him were in a serious, monogamous relationship. How crazy would it be for her to be upset about something that Emmett had done in, what, the 1930's? It was 2005, now.

The thought made her giggle. Loudly and that eventually turned into a full blown laugh.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" she gasped out through her laughter, "I'm an awful person, I'm not laughing at you, I swear!"

She coughed a few times to try and get her laughter under control. When she was sure she could control herself, she looked up at Emmett who looked at her like she had lost her mind.

"I'm sorry," she said again, "I was just thinking and it doesn't bother me. Not at all."

Emmett seemed more bothered by the fact that she _wasn't_ bothered, "What!? It doesn't?"

"No," she shook her head, "I can't even count in my head how many years ago that was. It would be crazy of me to judge you for that."

He was bewildered, "You're not gonna ask how many woman I've been with?"

Involuntarily, Kit's nose scrunched up. That, she would admit, she didn't care to know. Wasn't there some kind of rule about asking your significant other about the number of partners they had been with, anyway? The only reason she'd be concerned is if Emmett had an STD, but being an indestructible vampire, she was aware that it was impossible.

"No," she said simply with a shrug, "I'm not going to ask. Do you want me to ask?"

Emmett shrugged in the same manner as her, "No," he said simply.

"Okay, then," she concluded, "Jonah was your wing-man, then? What else did you guys do together?"

He shrugged again, "That's about it. That's all we did when we weren't workin' on the railroad," his head tilted as he looked at Kit, "I think he woulda liked you."

"Really?" she asked, almost hopefully.

"Yeah," he said, "And Lila woulda absolutely _adored_ you," he smiled, kissing her lips gently before he nuzzled his nose with hers.

Kit giggled, "Aww, I think I would have liked her too," she kissed him again.

"Do you think your grandma would have liked me?" he asked softly.

The smile slowly melted off of Kit's face and she looked back at the water, feeling that familiar ache in her chest.

"She would have loved you," she promised, laying her head on Emmett's arm again.

The pair stood in silence again, both thinking of their lost family members with a fondness that both warmed and broke their hearts.

It was so quiet, that Kit was surprised when Emmett spoke, "You're not falling asleep on me, are you?"

She lifted her head, "No."

"Good," he beamed at her, "I have a surprise for you."

Her eyes widened, "Another one?"

"Yeah, but you have to close your eyes."

She was hesitant to do so, but did as Emmett said, allowing her eyes to flutter closed.

"Stop looking so tense," she could hear Emmett's scowl, "I promise, I'm not going to eat you or throw you in the pond."

"Comforting," she mumbled, jumping when she felt him take her right hand. She felt something and then it was gone.

"Okay," Emmett said, "You can open your eyes now."

She opened her eyes, blinking to clear her vision as she looked down at her right hand. What had once been completely bare of any jewelry, now had a single ring on the ring finger of her right hand.

It was a simple band made purely out of quartz It had been polished to shine and fit perfectly on her finger.

"Where did you get this?" she mumbled.

"I made it!" Emmett said proudly, "With my teeth," she looked up just to see him bare them at her.

"You made this?" Kit parroted, observing the ring, "For me?"

Before Emmett responded, she lit up. The ring was beautiful and she loved it! She was going to wear it all the time.

"Thank you!" she threw her arms around Emmett's neck, laughing when he picked her up, "Thank you, so, so much, I love it!"

Emmett chuckled against her shoulder, "You're welcome. It's a promise ring, so that you'll know I'll always love you. No matter what happens."

No matter what happens. It wasn't too intense and still well within her boundaries that she had set. She felt warm inside and smiled widely when Emmett set her down. Standing there, in the middle of the bridge, of the whole garden, her heart sped up when he leaned down to kiss her.

Their lips pressed firmly together and her hands found purchase on his very defined chest, her right one going to rest over his heart. She couldn't feel it beating, but she knew it was there.

It was the longest they had ever kissed, Emmett continuing to brush his stone-like lips against hers and Kit couldn't help the hum that escaped her throat as she felt the sensation of his chilled exhales linger on her warm skin.

When Emmett's kisses became more insistent, she felt his lips part and her eyes flew open just as his cold tongue came to slide along her pink bottom lip.

Immediately, she pushed him away and took a step back, her hand going to cover her mouth.

Emmett on the other hand, looked horrified, "I-I'm sorry!"

"No!" she gasped, she felt her face flush, "I mean—it's not—it's not _you_! I just—I—I've never… _done_ that before," she admitted, "You know…" she gestured with her hand. At what, she didn't know, " _Make out_ or…anything…" she could feel her ears burning.

She felt like an idiot and refused to look at Emmett. Was it even okay for her to make out with Emmett? There was no harm there, was there? And she didn't think she would mind doing it. Sure, it was a little more intimate and she would be lying if she said she hadn't, er, _looked_ into it. It wasn't her fault that she had been bored and read her mom's monthly issue of _Cosmopolitan_. There was some interesting stuff in there. Besides, if she was ever going to make out with Emmett, she needed to know how.

She was positive that it was impossible to blush anymore than she already was. She was proven wrong when Emmett slid a single finger under her chin and tilted her face up. She blushed so hard, her face hurt.

Emmett's eyes were completely black, she noticed, but he wore an easy smile.

"You're not comfortable," he stated.

Kissing her boyfriend in a gorgeous garden after he had given her a promise ring sounded like the perfect moment to do just that and it helped that there wasn't anyone around. She read about scenes like this in her books and saw it on television in cheesy romantic comedies. Again, she was a total liar if she didn't admit she had thought about really kissing Emmett, but she just didn't know how.

"I'm comfortable with you," she countered, "And I'm okay with kissing you, but I don't know what to do when it comes to…other kissing," saying all of this out loud, only made her feel stupider.

She closed her eyes when Emmett tilted his mouth down towards hers. She was expecting him to try again and was a little flummoxed when he pulled away after the chaste kiss.

"It's not something that you should be stressed about," Emmett told her, "I can tell you're anxious."

"Oh…" she mumbled, "Well, that's kind of awkward."

" _You're_ awkward," he growled in a teasing voice, "And that's just fine."

Reaching up, Kit let out all her breath in a flourish and hugged him tight, "Thank you," she drawled, "I love you so much."

"I love you too, baby," Emmett responded, "You're my girl. Come on, the garden's gonna close soon."

Feeling light and happy, Kit held Emmett's hand, sticking close as they made their way back to the car. She could feel the ring on her finger and it made her heart even happier. She wanted to get him something too, but had no idea what to get a vampire who could probably buy a whole country.

She was glad he had taken the kissing thing well. He hadn't laughed at her or even tried to joke about it, which she appreciated. She had no experience whatsoever when it came to boys.

The drive back to Forks was calm and quiet, no words needing to be said between them. They reached Kit's house with seven minutes to spare and lingered outside the front door.

Kit spoke first, "I had a really nice time tonight. Thank you."

"Was it special enough?" Emmett asked.

"Yes!" she promised, "I can't even tell you how special it was. It was lovely and we beat my curfew."

"Five minutes," he glanced at his watch.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Kit took a step closer to him, "You really made my day, Emmett."

"I'm glad," Emmett brought his face closer, but then stopped, looking hesitant, "Um…?"

"Go ahead," Kit breathed, against his mouth, "It's fine."

She closed her eyes. She wasn't feeling anxious anymore and making out wasn't such a big deal. She wanted to. She was ready. It was going to happen. Right now...

" _Kiss_!"

"What did you say?" she whispered, opening her eyes.

Emmett, blinked back at her, frowning with his face still close to hers, "I didn't say anything."

" _It's okay_ , _you can kiss_!"

" _No_ , _don't_! _You'll die_!"

"What?" Kit mumbled. She turned her head, "What?" she squinted at the window that were covered by white venetian blinds that had come with the house.

"Oh my gosh!" she practically cried, jerking away from Emmett, "Mom!"

The porch light flicked on and the front door opened, Blake and Everly poking their heads out.

"Hi, kids," Everly wiggled her fingers innocently, "What are you guys up to?"

"Mom, oh my gosh!" Kit stamped her foot. She was mortified and blood pooled in her cheeks, "Are you kidding me!?"

Emmett laughed and she covered her face with her hands, praying for a lightening strike to kill her.

"You guys can kiss, it's fine," Everly promised happily, "You've had a rough day, honey. If you want to kiss your boyfriend, you can kiss your boyfriend. I know he's older, but as long as you consent, then you have my permission."

"She can't kiss her boyfriend like that, she's only sixteen," Blake protested as if Kit and Emmett weren't standing here.

"When I was sixteen, I did a _lot_ more than kiss-

"I'm going inside!" Kit declared throwing her hands up, "I'm done, I'm going to bed! Goodnight, Emmett, I will see you tomorrow! Ugh!"

She didn't even turn to look at him as she stormed inside, but she could hear his failure to conceal his chuckles.

"If he breaks up with me, it's because you're both wackadoos!" she hissed to her parents.

"Ugh, you're such a teenager," Blake complained, "Goodnight, honey, I love you. Night, Emmett!"

" _Goodnight_ , _Blake_ , _Everly_ ," she heard Emmett laugh loudly as she climbed the stairs, " _See you soon_ , _I hope_!"

Once in the safety of her room, she stayed pressed against her door, groaning in embarrassment. She highly doubted that Emmett was going to break up with her because of her parents silly antics, but that had been quite a show. At least, her mom wasn't downstairs, dictating her wild, teenage sex life to Emmett.

In her clothes and shoes, she went and flopped dramatically on her bed, rolling over to hug a pillow to her chest.

Today had been an emotional roller coaster and she was more than ready for bed. It had been a long day. Especially at school, having to pretend like she hadn't cried her eyes out not only in front of people who she never wanted to see her cry like a baby, but at lunch in front of her dad behind the English building.

Long story short: the meeting hadn't gone well, but Kit refused to think about it. At this moment, she was on cloud nine and she rolled back over to extend her arm out so that she could look at her new accessory.

' _I have a promise ring_!' she thought giddily, ' _He gave me a promise ring_ , _I can't believe it_!'

She felt like her heart was going to burst with all the love she had for Emmett. The feeling shocked and excited her all at the same time. Tonight, she and Emmett had definitely reached a new point in their relationship.

Whether she and him had been dating long enough for that, she didn't know, but growing up, the one thing she had learned was that there was no timeline when it really came to true love.

Squealing, Kit tilted her head back and shouted, "Mom! Come see what Emmett gave me!"

* * *

Emmett reclined awkwardly on one of his armchairs, his fingers laced behind his head.

He felt like he was floating. He hoped the ring hadn't been too much. He hadn't wanted to put pressure on Kit, but he also wanted to hint a little more on the mate topic that he always avoided.

He wasn't sure if she had gotten the message, but she had stated multiple times throughout the evening that she was happy and that's all that mattered. As long as she was happy, he was happy too.

"How did it go?"

He looked up and saw Esme standing in his doorway, looking hopeful and eager, her hands clasped in front of her.

"It went great," he told his mother, "She loved the ring."

"And you put in on the correct finger?" Esme asked, "On her right hand?"

"Yeah," he nodded. Apparently, when it came to promise rings, there was a certain finger and hand you had to put it on or you could wind up unexpectedly engaged.

"Good," Esme sighed in relief, "That's wonderful, Emmett. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks," Emmett mumbled. This was getting a little too mushy for him and he had had enough of that with Kit.

Esme laughed, "All right, I'll leave you be. Did you put Carlisle's keys on his desk?"

Emmett arched an eyebrow. Esme was such a human mom, sometimes. He knew very well that she had heard him place Carlisle's keys on the desk in his office.

"Yup," he said, "And I stopped for gas on the way."

"Thank you, sweetie," Esme smiled, then she zipped out of his room, the door closing behind her.

Alone once more, Emmett let his eyes fall shut. His and Kit's relationship was growing. He remembered when Alice had that fateful vision, he had been catatonic for hours, refusing any notion that he could fall in love with a human. That didn't even make any sense! Sure, it had happened to Edward, but his brother was always a little off.

But now, he couldn't imagine being with anyone else, whether vampire or human. Wasn't there some kind of quote about love being a powerful thing or whatever?

Either way, Kit was one hell of a woman. The way she had accepted his past with all the booze and the women in complete ease and stride was sure something. It was kind of hot.

Chuckling to himself, he darted across the room to pick out a video game to play.

He hoped he personally reached the point where he was confident enough to tell Kit the true meaning of being mates. His thoughts usually matched the words spilling out of his mouth; he had no filter, but with Kit he tried to.

Flashback:

 _Emmett grinned down at Kit. He had finally brought her over to his home to officially meet his family and it had gone well. Minus Rosalie's little temper tantrum. He hoped his favorite sister would try to be nice at the baseball game, but knowing Rosie, that wasn't likely._

 _He sat in one of his armchairs with Kit sitting comfortably in his lap. Even sitting, he still towered over her. He was trying to lighten the mood as Kit had asked a question, resulting him bringing up the Volturi. That had been a stupid move on his part, but he couldn't take it back._

 _He tried to ease the tension he had caused, but asking Kit to guess the rules of their kind._

 _"Guess your rules?" Kit's eyes widened, "Gosh, I don't know."_

 _"Try," Emmett urged, "It'll be fun."_

 _"Fun," Kit repeated wryly, "You just want to laugh at me."_

 _He did just that, unable to help the boisterous sound. She knew him so well and she was so cute. He felt her warm sigh drift over his skin and it looked like she was willing to play his little game after all. He was itching to hear what she would come up with._

 _"Okay...I guess," she began, "Drawing attention would have to be one, wouldn't it? It's why you act human."_

 _"One down, sixty-three to go!" he laughed at the expression on her face._

 _"Sixty-three?" she cried, "Nuh-uh."_

 _"No," Emmett chuckled, "There's no where near that many. Another one is about hunting, but that doesn't quite apply to us considering our diet. Hunting is forbidden in Volterra, but it's not like we go there every other weekend—Carlisle lived among them for a couple of decades before moving on. There's a couple regarding some other creatures. False witness is punishable by death…still with me?"_

 _"Yes," she said and he was surprised to hear no boredom in her tone, "I'm listening, keep going."_

 _"Ah, we can't be noticed in open sunlight—I know I still need to show you," he smiled when she lightly smacked his chest, taking her hand and kissing her palm, "A creator is responsible for their newborn's behavior and teaching them the laws. Vampires' interaction with-_

 _"Not. Another. Word. Emmett," that was Carlisle's voice, stern and commanding. Not as a father, but as a coven leader, "That's enough. She doesn't need to know everything, right now."_

 _"Are you crazy, **shut up**!" Rosalie hissed, "Ugh, learn to have a damn filter, Emmett! You've endangered us enough!"_

 _"What?" Kit's soft voice distracted Emmett from Rosalie's string of expletives. If she didn't stop, Esme would scold her, "Is something wrong?"_

 _"No, I was thinking," he muttered absently. He gestured for Kit to stand, then copied the motion, "It's time to go."_

 _He was still looking at his door, worried now. Kit was looking at him weird, switching between him and his door. He felt bad. He almost told Kit their most important rule: vampires' interaction with humans must not draw wide attention, no matter if the relationship was of friends or food—if a human became aware of them, the vampire at fault would be responsible for silencing that human._

 _Obviously, Kit was aware that he was a vampire and if the Volturi found out, then it would be Emmett's job to either turn her or kill her. He was absolutely content with the first option, but was unsure if that's what Kit wanted. They never talked about it._

 _"Are you okay?"_

 _"Yeah, babe," he smiled at her, eyes crinkling, "Fine," he smirked when Kit flicked her eyebrows up, "Good," he corrected, "Alice is getting impatient, that's all."_

End Flashback:

Since that conversation, Emmett had started to choose his words much more carefully and Carlisle had had a very firm talk with him about it. He had never been good with words and just blurted out this thoughts. As patronizing as it sounded, with a human mate, he had to be much, much more careful, More than just physically.

He shrugged off the thought. The Volturi. He actually snorted. Those ancient vampiric fossils were the last thing he needed to worry about. He had never even met them before and highly doubted that he ever would.


	32. Yeah, I Think That I Might Break

With a handful of black hairpins almost overflowing out of her palm, Willa shoved them into the side pocket of her dance bag, pulling her dented hair over her shoulders with her free hand. She was sweaty and gross, having just finished with dance and she felt more than ridiculous, standing outside of someone's house dressed only in pink tights with a black shirt thrown over her leotard, but she wasn't going to change. As soon as she returned home, it was back to her "home studio" for more practice.

There were four days, thirteen hours, forty-five minutes and—she had gotten off track when counting the seconds—until her audition. She was sure she had it up to par, but that wasn't good enough. There was no such thing as being up to par when it came to her audition. She needed to be exceptionally perfect, no pinky could be out of place.

She had borrowed her cousin's CD player and played the soundtrack constantly, going over her routine in the car, in the shower and whenever she got a spare moment. She played the CD when she fell asleep and would find herself waking up to silently practice in the middle of the night.

She prayed that if she passed her audition, her parents would let her be completely home schooled. Three periods or not, going to public school was cutting into her dance and stretch time.

She knocked on the front door just as the bright sunlight peaked out from the tress. She winced when it hit her face. It was past March 20th, the first day of Spring, but it was still odd for the sun to make an appearance.

She tried to force her eyes to open wider when she heard the click of the front door unlocking. She didn't want to come off as rude by having that scrunched up look on her face. She already looked a mess.

"Oh, Willa!"

Willa smiled warmly at Everly's surprised gasp. She had been so worried about coming off as rude, but she probably already came off that way considering she had shown up without calling any of them first.

"Hello, Everly," she greeted politely, "I'm sorry to show up like this."

"No, no," Everly shook her head and gestured for her to come inside, "Come in, please. My husband and I were wondering if we'd ever see you again."

"Thank you," Willa nodded and stepped into the house, "Is Kit here?"

As she slipped off her shoes, she followed Everly's hand when the woman pointed to the staircase.

"She's up in her room," the blonde said, "You remember where it is, don't you?"

"Yes, ma'am, thank you," Willa smiled and headed for the stairs. She hoped Kit was alone and not with her boyfriend or any of his brothers and sisters.

As she neared Kit's bedroom, nerves began to creep along her stomach. Forget butterflies, it was a whole zoo and she took a deep breath, deciding to pull her hair into a ponytail to keep from tugging on the ends.

She wiped her hands on her tights and knocked on Kit's door. She couldn't hear any talking coming from inside and figured her friend to be alone. That was a relief.

" _Come in_!" Kit called.

' _Oh my gosh_ , _I really don't want to do this_ , _but I'm gonna do it_ , _oh my gosh_ ,' Willa raved in her head as she opened the door.

"Hey!" she greeted, too loudly.

Kit looked very happy to see her and Willa, knowing Kit, was very prepared when Kit leapt up from her bed to hug her.

"Oh my gosh, hi!" Kit said happily into her shoulder, "I wasn't expecting you to come over. What's up?"

Willa pulled back from the hug and slowly, she went to shut Kit's door before she turned to face her friend who went back to sit on her bed.

She looked around Kit's room. Nothing had changed since the last time she had been over.

However, Kit had changed, and in Willa's opinion, the air was already tense, refueling her irritation from a couple days ago when she had vented to her favorite aunt.

She wondered if Kit could tell that something was up because with a furrow in her brow, she asked, "Is there something wrong? Do you want to sit?"

Willa shook her head, "No, no, I'm fine. I won't be long."

Kit smiled a little, "Are you sure? You just got done with dance, right? You're probably tired."

Willa shrugged and didn't smile back, "I don't know, not really."

She was hoping Kit was going to bring up the upcoming audition, but she hadn't yet. Had Kit been practicing?

"Are you starting to get nervous?" Kit asked sheepishly, shifting on her bed, "I mean, I don't know, do you ever get scared?"

Willa pressed her lips together. She had told her parents to wait ten minutes and then they would start honking. How long had it been? They were probably impatient already.

"I got someone else to play for my auditions," she told Kit slowly. She pointed her right foot, then flexed it, "So…" she shrugged.

It was silent for awhile and Willa figured she could have at least started with: "I really need to tell you something", instead of blurting it out. It was too late, now.

She didn't look at Kit when the brunette spoke, "…What does that mean?"

Willa flicked her dark eyes to look at Kit. She was frowning and Willa had expected that.

She shrugged again, "Exactly what I just said."

"Okay, but why?"

Willa could hear Kit fighting to keep her voice steady and she licked her lips.

"Because, Kit, I…" she cut herself off, her accent always got thicker when she was nervous, "I'm going t'be honest, I do not want you to do it anymore. I really want to say 'it's not you, it's me', but it's not, it's you."

She looked at Kit. Willa was sure her own face was twisted in disdain and she wasn't sure how to make her facial expression normal.

"It's me?" Kit demanded, "What are you talking about? You literally _begged_ me to play for you!" she reminded hotly, "You guilt tripped me-

"Hey, I didn't guilt trip you!" Willa interrupted with a hint of frustration, clenching her fist.

"You did!" Kit insisted, throwing her hands up, "And it was fine and I felt bad and I tried to understand, so I said that I would do it and I've been working my butt off-" she had to stop to breathe, "I thought we were doing this together, so that we could both get into programs? That's what you told me. That dance scouts have all the best connections to the orchestras."

Willa bit her lip. She was shaking and starting to get upset. She felt bad about that and would admit that she used that particular statement to sway Kit to play for her, but she hadn't been trying to guilt trip Kit.

"Kit, you…ugh!" Willa didn't know how to say it, "I'm trying, like—I can't trust—you're just _too_ distracted and then you fainted at school. Do you know how embarrassing that's going to be if you faint at the audition? For both of us."

Kit shook her head, "You think I would let that happen? It's my blood sugar. I have to check it all the time and I'll eat before then."

"Kit!" Willa practically growled, fisting her hair. She took a deep breath, trying to get her words straight, "That's not the only problem, it's everything! You're just…negative _all_ the time-

"I'm not negative," Kit interjected, taken aback. She twisted the ring that was on her finger.

"You are!" Willa cried, "All the time. You have this look on your face and it's aggravating! It makes people not want to be around you because you have this air about you and the casting directors are going to notice that."

She forced herself to relax her shoulders. She was shaking terribly and she regretted not accepting Kit's earlier offer to sit. She had been keeping this inside her for awhile. Since the day she and Kit had worked on that English project.

"I don't have any kind of air about me," Kit denied stubbornly, "I'm fine."

Hurt and angry, Willa snapped, "You see? _That's_ what I'm talking about. You don't talk about your problems and then you say: 'Oh, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine' and you're obviously not. And then you expect people to feel bad for you-

"I don't expect _anyone_ to feel bad for me!" Kit exclaimed, eyes wide. She got to her feet and Willa backed up as she walked towards her, "Besides, my problems aren't anyone's business, but you wouldn't know that would you?"

Willa's mouth fell open, "What's _that_ supposed to mean!?"

"You going through my email and telling Mrs. Goff," Kit reminded, "Does that ring a bell?"

Willa felt her cheeks color, "Hey, don't yell at me. I'm trying to tell you—Kit, it's frustrating to be around you. You're just drama _all_ _the time_. You're always looking at your phone and you're always frowning or crying or leaving school. It's a lot to deal with, especially when you kept telling people not to tell anyone. It was a lot of pressure and my parents were starting to worry about _me_."

Kit frowned, a hint of blush coming to her cheeks. Her voice lowered, "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make you feel that way and I'm sorry for being negative. I wasn't trying to make your life harder."

Willa huffed and folded her arms across her chest, trying to calm down as well, "It's just exhausting. People keep telling you to do something about it and then you don't and cry when something happens. It's a cycle over and over and it's a lot to deal with," she repeated.

"Well, then don't deal with it," Kit muttered, going back to sit on her bed, "Nobody asked you or anyone else to deal with it."

Willa rolled her eyes, "See, you're getting defensive. I'm not trying to be mean, Kit, seriously! You're my best friend, you know that. But you keep doing things and it's like you're subjecting yourself to this on purpose for the attention or something."

That seemed to set Kit off for some reason and the brunette's head snapped up, but she didn't get to her feet again.

"Are you _kidding_ me!?" she shrieked, "I can't believe-

Willa had to raise her own voice to speak above Kit, "That's what it seems like because you never talk about-

"So, _now_ you want me to talk about-

"You have all these chances to defend yourself and get help and you're purposely-

"You don't know-

" _WHAT_ is going on in here!?"

With her chest heaving, Willa whipped her head around at Everly's shrill shout to see that the blonde had appeared in the doorway, clutching the frame tightly. Willa and Kit's voices had risen so loud that it made her ears hurt. The whole town of Forks probably heard them.

"Well!?" Everly demanded when no one said anything.

Quick and panicked, Willa ducked under Everly's arm and rushed down the stairs. She grabbed her shoes and unlocked the front door, so eager to get back in the car, that she slammed it harder then she meant to.

Kit was her best friend and Willa hadn't been trying to shout or be mean. She was only trying to explain to Kit how she felt about the situation as a best friend and a bystander. Willa had been bullied before and had encountered her fair share of racists. As soon as something happened, she always told her parents or a teacher.

Kit never talked about anything and it hadn't been fair of her to ask Willa to keep the bullying to herself. Telling someone was so simple and Willa couldn't fathom why Kit let this go on for so long. Again, she wasn't trying to be mean, she was trying to understand, but it had turned into some big fight.

She hoped that they were still friends.

* * *

Kit sat on her bed, her knees pulled up to the pillow she held tight to her chest. Her eyes trained downwards and she hid the lower half of her face in the pillow.

It was nighttime and Willa had left hours ago. She couldn't believe that had actually happened. Willa was the last person she ever expected to fight with. How dare Willa accuse her of doing something like this on purpose for the attention! She had sounded like Lauren when she said it and that's why Kit yelled. She felt a little bad about it, now.

She would admit that Willa was right about one thing. Kit felt heavy and empty at the same time, all the time. It was the only way she could describe it and it made her want to claw her eyes out. It was a weight that had been released on her body, hunching her over and crushing her ribs. It's what caused her to fake laughs and smile all the time. Even when she did muster up a real laugh, it always felt like something was missing.

Perhaps that was the 'air' Willa had been referring to.

Did everyone really notice it? Did _Emmett_ notice it? Was he impacted by this? Probably. She had often begged him not to tell anyone what he knew and that had to be hard for him. He had confronted her many times and told her that it frustrated him and she hadn't done anything about it.

From the meeting that had occurred in the middle of the front office, Blake had demanded that she get her schedule changed, but that was impossible. Literally. It was such a small school, that there was no way for her schedule to be switched to the point where she had none of her tormentors in class. It's not like anyone at the school believed her anyway.

Kit hated herself.

There was a knock on her door and it opened without her giving permission. What if she had been naked or something?

"Willa called again," Everly said softly, wrapped in her robe.

Kit said nothing in response to that and she heard her mother sigh.

"Do you want to talk?" Everly asked.

Silently, Kit shook her head. She felt her throat tighten and pressed her mouth tighter into her pillow to keep in any pitiful noises.

She did, though. Kit wanted to talk. At least, she thought she did. She had revisited the possibility of seeing a therapist, but that wasn't going to do anything. She didn't want to talk about her problems or talk about her feelings or coping skills or whatever. What was that going to do about the situation overall?

She just wanted everything to be okay again. She wanted things at school to be fixed, she wanted it to go away and just…disappear.

She wanted it all to stop.

"Do you want to be alone?" Everly asked sadly.

Kit nodded, though she didn't. Not really. She kind of wanted Emmett, but she had closed her window and drawn her curtains. It had been awhile since he had been in her room at night. She didn't want to become dependent on him or anything.

Oh, well. She would see him tomorrow.

"Okay, honey…" Everly said hesitantly, "Goodnight."

Tears pricked at Kit's eyes as soon as her mother closed the door and she burrowed the rest of her face in her pillow to muffle her crying.

* * *

"I mean it, baby. You are the slowest driver known to man," Emmett complained to Kit for the thousandth time that Wednesday while they sat at their usual lunch table.

He watched Kit roll her eyes and grinned at her when she glared at him. He was grounded for two weeks, unable to drive or work in the basement. So, Kit had picked him up and driven him to school. He had complained the whole time, mostly making her laugh.

"It's called following the _law_ ," Kit told him after swallowing a large bite of her sandwich.

"It's called unfair _punishment_ ," Emmett corrected, huffing as he crossed his arms.

He and Jasper had been wrestling outside and gotten a little too carried away. Emmett had sort of, kind of, basically threw Jasper through the window and broke the couch into pieces; as well as creating a Jasper-sized crater in the wall. No biggie!

"Mhm," Kit hummed, giving him a beautiful smile, "I guess I shouldn't comment. I can't relate to destroying the house."

Emmett chuckled as he played with the small red apple in his hands. He twisted off the stem and dropped it onto his tray, eyeing Kit every so often. He decided not to comment, but he was proud of her. She had seemed a little off this morning, but was doing so well and had almost eaten her whole lunch. He would praise her later, when she wasn't eating.

"I'll be right back," Kit told him and he looked up in time to see her stand.

"Okay," he said, glancing at Lauren's table, "Be careful."

"I will be," she promised with a smile, "See you in a minute."

He watched her leave in a quick walk. Not so that he could stare at her butt, only to make sure that she wasn't being followed.

"Follow her."

Emmett jumped, cursing when he felt one of the metal rods that held the table together warp when his knee hit it. He had been so immersed in watching Kit, he hadn't heard Edward approach.

"What!?" Emmett snapped, annoyed, "Wear a bell around your neck, won't ya', kid?"

"Follow her," Edward repeated urgently, "Now!"

"What?" Emmett blinked stupidly as he stood up, ' _What's going on_?' he thought to his brother at his guilty expression, ' _She's fine_. _Lauren and her friends are still here_.'

Though he didn't need to hear it twice and left the lunchroom, not waiting for Edward to respond. He easily ignored the whispers and eyes that followed him, inconspicuously sniffing the air to catch Kit's scent. She was in the girl's bathroom, closest to the lunchroom. What? Was he supposed to stand outside of it and listen to her do her business?

And then he heard it. The sound of coughing and heaving.

In the blink of an eye, he had zipped into the girl's bathroom and immediately the sour, rotten scent of vomit hit his nostrils. It was Kit, all right.

He went down the line of stalls until he stood in front of the one farthest down the line. She occupied that one.

He wanted to break the door down, but remained where he was. Kit was throwing up…on _purpose_! She had to be, there was no other explanation. She wasn't sick and hadn't complained about not feeling well. To his knowledge, she didn't have any allergies or food sensitivities and none of her food had been spoiled, he would have told her if some of it was. She was throwing up on purpose.

He didn't know how to react. When it came to Kit, he never did anymore. Did it make him a bad person for being unsure if he was surprised or not? She was already hiding food and starving herself.

Still, he winced every time Kit heaved. It broke his heart. She was so loved and so beautiful and warm and kind. Why would she hurt herself like this? He couldn't understand it, but he didn't know anything about humans throwing up on purpose or eating disorders.

He tensed heard the sound of Kit coughing, then spitting into the toilet before she unraveled some toilet paper from the dispenser. He squared his shoulders, preparing for her to come out once she flushed the toilet. She was probably going to yell at him and that was perfectly fine. He could yell too.

The toilet flushed loudly and after a moment, Kit unlocked the stall and emerged from it, stopping short as soon as she saw him.

He held her gaze and folded his arms across his chest, quirking an eyebrow. There were tears and snot running down her face and he could see bite marks on her knuckles.

"I-I don't even know what to _say_ to you anymore," he whispered, narrowing his eyes.

"This is the _girl's_ bathroom," was all Kit rasped before she pushed past him to rinse out her mouth and wash her hands.

Emmett's mouth fell open and in pure shock, he said, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

He flinched violently at the word at the same time Kit did. He was someone that swore, but he had never spoken to her that way before.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, "But, Kit, I…" he shook his head, "You just…you just shoved your fingers down your throat! You're _sick_."

He watched her spit into the sink and straighten up. He didn't move out of the way and could see her arm shaking as she reached for a paper towel to wipe her face off.

She looked strangely unbothered as she tossed the rough paper towel into the garbage can. He had expected her to freak out or at least yell. I mean, he had just caught her throwing up in the school bathroom and she had barely said a full sentence to him.

"How long have you been doing this!?" he demanded.

Kit shrugged, "I don't know. I don't keep track."

"Kit, you _can't_ ," Emmett started, shaking his head, "We need to go talk to Carlisle _right now_ because I won't let you keep doing this! I'm not going to cover for you, again. Not anymore. You _can't_ keep doing this."

He had expected her to finally yell at him or refuse to go. He had expected her to try and walk out or come up with some excuse or promise to do it later.

What he hadn't expected was for her to look at him with bloodshot eyes and mumble, "You're right."

He blinked at her, "I'm sorry, one more time?"

"You're right," she repeated, voice still raspy. Her breaths started to come out quicker, shorter, "I can't. I can't keep doing it."

And then, to his horror, she started to cry.

"I don't do it all the time," she promised him, a tear sliding down her face, "Okay? It makes me feel gross and dirty and it makes my throat hurt and it's just…it's everything," she raked a hand through her hair, "And I don't _want_ to do it, I can't do it anymore."

Emmett reached for her, but Kit shook her head and took a step back. Her face turned dark red and crumpled. Tears were starting to pour down her face.

He was shocked by the sounds escaping from deep within her chest as she cried. They shook her frame that was becoming too thin, threatening to tear her apart from the inside.

"I can't," she sobbed, "I can't, I can't put up with it anymore. I'm done, I can't do it!" she covered her face with her hands, "It's too much!" she wailed.

Emmett had never Kit cry like this. In all of his sixty-nine years, he had never heard anyone cry like this.

He pulled Kit into his arms, "No, baby, no," he pleaded with her, "Kit, I'm so sorry."

She sobbed, loud and broken into his chest and he rocked her. He didn't know what to do. Take her to Carlisle? Kill Lauren? Have Jasper calm her down? All three!?

"I-it's going to get better," he promised lamely, "Okay, it's going to be fine."

"It's not going to be fine!" Kit wailed, pulling away from him, "It's not going to get better, it's going to get worse! So much worse…" she sobbed in a weak whimper, "It's never gonna end," she shook her head frantically, another sob escaping, "And I can't, I tried so hard, I tried!"

"I know!" he told her frantically, "I know you did. You tried so hard."

He wanted to cover his ears. The wracking sobs and the violent way in which Kit cried shook him to his very core. Her crying echoed in the bathroom and there was no joke he could tell that would make her laugh or make it all better.

This was not Kit Algren. This was not the vibrant, over bubbly, freckled girl that filled in all of his blank spaces and made him whole; that made his dead heart full, that he loved with every bit of his soul that might be damned. She was just…broken and he wasn't sure how to put her back together. The soothing words he muttered to her made no difference at all.

"It's never going to end, never ever," her sobs started anew and she covered her face with her hands, shoulders shaking.

Emmett held her again. Tighter this time. She had just thrown up everything she had eaten. He figured that she was probably hungry and thirsty. The time she had cried about Lauren, she had needed medicine and sleep. While she was sleeping, he'd call Carlisle and see if he could make an appointment for him to look at Kit. What if she needed to be in some kind of special hospital?

"I'm gonna take you home," he decided, "And you can sleep, okay? And then you'll feel better."

He felt her nod against his chest and he pressed a firm kiss to her hair. Their stuff was still in the cafeteria, but he knew his siblings—probably Alice—would get it for them.

He reached forward and pulled out multiple rough paper towels from the dispenser and when he had enough, he pressed them into her trembling hands.

"Come on," her urged her quietly through her sobs, "Everyone's still at lunch, so no one will see us leave."

Keeping her incredibly close to his side, he led out of the bathroom and into the fresh air. He had half a mind to pick Kit up and zip to the car, but stopped shortly when he heard the stomping sound of someone approaching in heels.

"Rose," he breathed, exhausted at his sister, "No, not now."

But Rosalie didn't acknowledge him and stopped right in front of Kit, scowling fiercely.

"It's always something with you, isn't it!?" she snapped, " _Isn't it_!?" she demanded when Kit couldn't answer.

Emmett growled at her, "Be quiet, Rosalie! This isn't any of your damn business. Go away."

"No, Emmett, I'm trying to help," Rosalie sneered, "Tell her! Tell your precious little Kit how you're always worrying about her and freaking out because she's 'sad all the time'. Tell her that you haven't been yourself in days! Tell her that we can't go one damn day without someone bringing her up. Tell her how Jasper can't even _stand_ to be around her anymore because her emotions are too much for him. By this point, she's worse than the other human. It's always about _her_ , it always has to be about _her_!"

"Because heaven freakin' forbid something isn't about _you_ for once!" Emmett said rudely.

Rosalie growled when Kit began to cry harder "Oh, stop it! Not everything has to be an American tragedy."

"Rosalie!"

"Oh my God," Emmett groaned when Alice made an appearance and of course, Jasper was behind her. This was making his and Kit's inconspicuous escape much, much harder.

"You're all making a scene!" Jasper hissed, "Remember where we are."

"Emmett, go, take Kit home," Alice said as she touched Kit's shoulder and gave her a gentle push, "Go, now before lunch is over," she turned her bright eyes to Rosalie and pouted, "Carlisle won't be happy about this."

Emmett glared at Rosalie when she scoffed and rolled her eyes, "We'll talk about this at home."

"Of course we will," Rosalie raged. She gave Kit another awful look, "We always do."

He could feel Jasper pushing calm at all of them and he decided it was best to let Rosalie have the last word or they would be standing there going back and forth for days until one of them said something that they would eventually regret.

He led Kit away, quicker this time, without saying one more word to any of his siblings.

"Don't listen to her," he told Kit.

He got no response, but didn't expect one either and said nothing else all the way to the parking lot. If any of the school staff saw them leaving, they didn't come out try to stop them. Not that they could've. Regardless, he still would have taken Kit home.

He opened the door for Kit and hurried to the driver's side. As soon as Kit was safe in the car, her tears and sobs started anew and Emmett wished he had grabbed more paper towels.

"I'm so sorry, Kit," he repeated, knowing no other way to console her. He still couldn't think of a joke to cheer her up.

She cried into her hands with abandon and Emmett let her. He didn't touch her arm or reach out to hold her hand. He just let her cry.

He was disappointed to see the lack of cars when he reached Kit's house and put her car into park. That meant her parents were both out and he didn't know when they'd be home.

Sniffling, Kit unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car to go to her front door, reaching into the pocket of her jeans for her house key. Feeling like a lost puppy, Emmett followed her inside to the couch where she sat, hunched over with her elbows on her knees and head in her hands.

He was about to ask her what she wanted to eat, when she finally spoke in a small voice.

"W-will you go?"

His eyes bugged out of his head and he gaped at her. Was she nuts?

"I can't leave you like this," he protested, "You were just sick and I can stay until your parents get home. I don't have to go back to school."

In her hunched over position, Kit's legs began to bounce up and down.

"That's okay," she rasped in a whisper, "I want you to go, I'll be fine."

He moved one foot forward, "Babe, you're not fine. I can-

" _GO_!"

Her shout made him take a step back and it reverberated in his ears like a clap of thunder. He never knew that Kit's voice was capable of such volume. Sure, they had argued a couple of times, but he had never heard her yell like that.

She was still hunched over, trying to get her crying under control. Her hands were now cupped around her nose and mouth, her eyes closed.

He regarded her openly for a second, "You told me once that you have the tendency to let yourself get too closed off and it's not always what's best for you. You thanked me for not listening—for not leaving you alone. Is this one of those times?"

Her eyes opened, but she still didn't look at him, "…No."

* * *

Kit wasn't sure how long she sat like that—in silence—on the couch. It was long enough for Emmett to finally get the hint…he left. It was long enough to the point where she had to go upstairs and change her shirt. Both sleeves were soaked through with snot and tears and left red rashes on her arms.

She checked her blood sugar if only to feel something, brushed her teeth and chugged water from the tap in her bathroom, then collapsed into bed.

She stared up at the ceiling with her arm thrown over her forehead. Her ceiling was the only wall in her room that wasn't painted yellow. She had never paid any attention to that small detail, but now it bothered her. The white stuck out like a sore thumb. She didn't know anyone who had ever painted their ceiling. What if she painted it and the paint dripped onto her comforter or onto her face while she was sleeping?

"Your principal called me."

Kit glanced over at her mother who stood in the doorway. She hadn't heard her parents return home, but could clearly hear Indigo downstairs in the kitchen with their father.

"Okay?" she mumbled carelessly, the 'and?' implied in her tone.

"I can't believe you skipped school again!" Everly raged, "What did I tell you, Kit!?"

"It wouldn't have happened if you just let me stay home," Kit declared quietly, "I ask everyday for you to let me stay home."

"Okay, so, did you think I wasn't going to find out?" Everly demanded, "And don't _think_ I don't know that you left with Emmett! You know he can't be here alone with you, unless it's _after_ school for an _hour only_. If _this_ is what he's going to do, then I don't know if I want you seeing him anymore."

"Fine," Kit shrugged, "I'll break up with him, tomorrow, then. Happy, now?"

"Kit Amara Algre-

"Mom, don't 'Kit Amara Algren' me!" Kit sat up and her chin trembled, "Gosh, you don't even know what's going on! How about—how about you at least _ask_ me why I left school before you jump to conclusions!"

Everly sighed, "Why did you leave school?"

"Because it sucks!" Kit exclaimed, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Okay!? It sucks and I keep telling you that and you keep making me go!"

"It's. The. Law." Everly stressed, "I cannot make that any more clearer than I already have, Kit, you know this."

"Well, why can't I transfer?" Kit whined, her body wracked with a sob.

"If you transfer, now then you won't be able to finish out the year," Everly explained. She stayed where she was, "Honey, I've told you this. I mean…" she sighed heavily and ran a hand over her face, "You have to learn how to deal with these issues or you will be running from your problems for the _rest_ of your life. For weeks, all you talked about was Julliard, Julliard, Julliard and I think about that every time you want to stay home or want to transfer. How is that going to look on your record?"

Kit wiped her tears and shrugged. She had no answer to that question.

"Listen, your father and I are going to make an appointment to talk to the superintendent, okay?" Everly said, hoping to cheer Kit up, "This has got to stop and after we speak to her, things should get a lot better."

"It's not going to get better, mom," Kit moaned, hitting her bed with her fist, She fell over on her side, "Will you please just leave me alone?"

She burst into quiet sobs as soon as her mother closed the door and it wasn't until she opened her eyes again, feeling groggy, that she realized she had fallen asleep with tears drying on her freckled cheeks.

It was quite dark and her head was throbbing. Her eyes hurt and pain flashed through her head every time she blinked. Her mouth tasted disgusting and she felt physically empty. It wasn't until her stomach rumbled that she remembered why. Despite her hunger, she was thankful that neither one of her parents had woken her for dinner. She would have been a bummer the whole time.

With a quiet groan, she rolled over and spotted a banana on her bedside table. She scrunched her nose. She hated bananas, but it warmed her heart. Indigo loved them, so it must have been her sister that left it there.

She sat up and winced, taking the banana and began to peel it. She left the peel on her bedside table and ate the whole banana without really tasting it. She finished it in seconds and wiped her hands on her shirt, not bothering to remove any of her clothes or her locket that had slipped under her shirt. It was cold against her skin.

Once the banana had settled in her stomach, she forced herself to her feet and staggered out of her room and down the hall to her parents' bathroom. She had no idea what time it was, but there was no way she could go back to sleep with this headache.

She shut the door with a soft click before she turned on the light, gasping at the brightness that forced her eyes shut. She covered them with one of her hands for good measure and felt around until she was sure she was standing in front of the sink.

When she was sure that it was safe to open her eyes, what stared back at her in the mirror shocked her and caused more tears to well up. She wondered if she would ever stop crying.

Her hair was completely disheveled. It was frizzy and dry and stuck up everywhere. She had never seen it in such a state, it didn't even look wavy anymore.

Her eyes were red and puffy, the whites bloodshot and her pupils large. Her eyelashes stuck together in clumps from her tears and the bags were so dark it looked like someone had smudged mud under her eyes.

Her lips turned downwards and her head bowed, the force of her pain too much as she gasped out a quiet sob. She felt weak, crumbling into tiny pieces, embarrassment flooding through her veins at how pathetic she was. It had only been three months since she had moves to Forks, but she couldn't take it anymore.

When this had started, she hadn't expected it to break her like this. She had been naive and ignorant, thinking that it would go away on its own. She thought it was something that she could handle.

But it had so quickly spiraled out of control into something she couldn't handle and all it left behind was a bone-deep agony that had torn her apart to mere shreds of the person she used to be.

She lifted her head to stare at her reflection just as a tear slid down her face. Her eyes were lifeless and she wondered, morbidly, if that meant she was dead inside.

"I'm done," she whispered to herself. She had tried so hard and finally reached her limit. Now, she was just done.


	33. Take Me To Church

**Hampton, New Hampshire**

" _Shelly_ , _Dominic_ … _LET'S GO_!"

"Oh my gosh…" Shelia Briar breathed, turning to look at her brother with wide hazel eyes, "I just went deaf."

"Shhhh." Dominic hissed through his laughter, "We said five minutes and it's been fifteen."

Shelly rolled her cat-shaped eyes and went back to straightening her thick ebony hair. She and her brother currently occupied the room at the back of the church, changing back into their day clothes after a long day of choir practice.

She was seventeen and stood at 5'6 with a curvy and slim figure, a body she had literally worked her cute butt off for. She had beautiful red-brown ochre skin that glowed in the sunlight from its orange-red undertones and full lips that hid her teeth. It used to bug her, but now she appreciated it because her lips hid her pink braces. Luckily, she was getting them off in two months. It would be before Senior year started.

"We need to get a new air conditioner," she told Dominic, "I thought I was gonna pass out, and both Amy and Deetra said the same thing. I could see a few people swaying on their feet."

Dominic snickered. He was nineteen and stood at 5'9 with a rectangular and thin body shape. His skin was a shade darker than his sister's and he had the same hazel eyes, though they were a little bit wider in shape. His dazzling smile would reveal the bronze in his cheeks and he wore his kinky black hair styled short with a fade.

"Maybe we just need lighter robes?" he suggested, replacing the studs in his ears, "We'll have to run it by the choir director."

Simultaneously, the siblings looked at each other and in a perfect impression of their mother said, "You got new robes or air conditioner money!?"

"We got the money," Shelly ran her fingers through her hair, wincing at the heat that lingered, "What else are the church funds for?"

"Competition-

" _What_ are you two doing!?"

Shelly turned her head just at the door slammed against the wall. Her mother, Vanessa stood there, her mere presence filling up the bathroom. Not because of her size, but because of the professional air she carried. Some people would call that intimidating, but Shelly was sure they were just stereotyping.

Vanessa was 5'3, the shortest adult in their large family. Her dark brown hair was dense and bouncy in tight curls, pulled back in it's usual ponytail. She had an awkward body shape with large breasts and a small waist, but large hips. Looking at her, no one would guess that she basically lived at the gym and only partook in clean eating. She was probably the healthiest in the family and would live until she was one hundred.

"We're changing," Shelly said under her mom's stern stare, "Mama, it's so hot out, I can't walk around in my church robes."

"How long can it take you to change?" Vanessa demanded, "You wear your day clothes under your robes, don't you?"

"If I did that, I would sweat out all of my body weight," Dominic grumbled.

Shelly laughed when her mother popped Dominic on the back of his head for muttering under his breath and handed her the straightener when Vanessa came up behind her. Her mother had always done the back of her hair for her when she wore it straight.

Vanessa shrugged, "I don't hear no one else complaining."

Shelly shared a look with her brother and she winced when she caught her mother's glare in the mirror.

"Who complains!?" Vanessa demanded.

Shelly frowned, "I'm not telling you."

"Oh?" Vanessa's eyes widened, "And why is that, young lady?"

"Because people find you intimidating," Dominic said easily, going to the sink to wash his hands.

Vanessa scoffed, "Are you saying that because I'm black?"

Shelly had to close her eyes to keep from rolling them, ' _ **Everyone**_ _in this room is black_.' she wanted to say, but instead said, "You're intimidating because you make fun of people."

"Who do I make fun of!?" Vanessa exclaimed in disbelief.

"You just made fun of Jade the other day because she didn't know what she wanted for lunch," Shelly reminded, wincing when her mom burned her scalp, "Ow."

"How damn hard is it to pick a place for lunch?" Vanessa ranted, "Either you want teriyaki or sandwiches. I know, so, scary. Oooh," she drawled sarcastically, waving the straightener about.

"You see?" Dominic pointed out with a chuckle, "That's what we're talking about."

"Whatever," Vanessa shrugged it off, "There, Shelly, you're done."

"Thanks," Shelly smiled at her reflection, "Why are we in such a rush? Daddy's not comin' home until late. He said."

"We need groceries," Vanessa said, "You're out of toothpaste and we need to stop by the Algren house. I told Everly last week I'd ship another box over. I'm sending all their pictures."

Shelly ran her hands through her hair one more time and unplugged her straightener, wrapping the cord around its base.

"Oh," she mumbled, "What'd she say?"

"Everly?" Vanessa asked, to which Shelly nodded, "Nothin' really."

Shelly wasn't satisfied with that and twisted to look at her mother as she led the way out of the back room, "Well, did she ask about me?"

"She always does," Vanessa said, "I told her you were fine, doing good in school and still going to church. _Dom_ on the other hand…"

Shelly sighed quietly as the conversation moved towards her brother. While Dominic was still in the choir thanks to their mom being in charge of it, he often missed practices and skipped out on church days to hang out with his friends. He didn't have a job, but was looking for one, as well as attending college.

"Okay," Shelly said, wanting to bring the conversation back to her, "What else?"

She flinched when the bright sunlight hit her eyes and brought her hand up to cover them. She could hear the car running, which meant that Dominic had taken the keys and occupied the passenger seat. She hated it when he did that. She was usually the one who sat up front.

"What else what?" Vanessa asked, getting into the car.

Shelly got in behind her mother's seat and was about to answer when Dominic opened his stupid wide mouth.

"She wants to know if Kit asked about her because all of a sudden they're BFF's."

"Shut _up_ , Dominic!" Shelly snarled.

"No!"

"Knock it off!" Vanessa said loudly, pulling out of the parking lot, "When are you two going to learn to grow up?"

"He doesn't need to comment," Shelly quipped, "We weren't even talking to him."

She scowled and folded her arms across her chest, having to say one more thing, "And you don't know nothin' about me and Kit, Dom, so shut up."

"Shelly!" Vanessa scolded, "Girl, what did I just say? Be quiet!"

"Anything," Dominic corrected under his breath, but of course, his mother didn't hear him.

Shelly wanted to huff, but did as she was told and slumped back in her seat. Being seventeen, her mother had stopped spanking her years ago, but that didn't mean she couldn't get punished other ways. Once, after she had been caught sneaking out, her mother had literally removed her bedroom door for two months. It had been pure torture.

They drove in silence for awhile, until her mom spoke, "We're gonna go shopping later, so does anyone want Aroma Joe's? We have a lot of stuff to do at the house."

"I do," Shelly muttered, then was quick to add, "Please."

Her tone was short, indicating that she was still annoyed with her brother. He was so immature sometimes and there were days when she really couldn't stand him and wished that their parents would just kick him out already. Right after high school, when she was eighteen, she planned to get a dorm when she went off to college and was looking into UCLA as her dream school. She was hoping to get in to their Anthropology program.

"What do you want, Shelly?" Vanessa asked when they were next in line at the drive-thru.

"Grande iced caramel latte with an extra shot of espresso," Shelly recited. She got the same thing every time. Unless it was cold out. Then, she got a hot latte or one of the holiday drinks.

"Thank you," she said, when she received her drink at the next window, "I'm so thirsty."

"All that singing," Vanessa explained, "Dom, you want anything while we're out?"

"Nah," Dominic shook his head, "I'd rather wait until dinner."

Her mom turned on the radio, filled the silence and as they sang cheerfully along, they drove by plenty of beaches and Shelly could see all types of people, adults and kids alike running around. As the summer months approached, more tourists would be coming. That was going to be annoying.

"I don't think M'gonna straighten my hair, this summer," Shelly thought aloud, mostly to her mother, "It's too hot and it takes too long."

"I told you not to straighten it, anyway," Vanessa scolded, "Your hair breaks off and then it's all over the place. We'll get it cut and you can leave it curly. Wear it in the puff-puffs. Those were cute."

Shelly made a face, "They make me look like I'm six."

"You already look six," Dominic remarked, which Shelly maturely ignored.

"And you know we're with the family in July," Vanessa reminded, "Bob said he secured a house. A big one and you and your cousins always wanna go swimming."

Shelly shrugged to herself. That much was true.

"I'll just wash it when we get home, then," she decided, making another face at how frizzy and split her ends were.

If the whole family was going up to the resort, then that meant all the "important" family members would be there. Her great aunts always made annoying remarks and comments and that was part of the reason she always tried to look good and get her life together.

' _I hope Jacie isn't there_ ,' she thought, envious of her cousin who was oh-so perfect and whom everyone praised.

"Is Jacie going, this year?" she asked, speaking her thoughts aloud.

"Oh my gosh, Shelly," Vanessa shook her head, having heard this before, "We have to do this _every_ year? _Every_ holiday? _Every_ family event?"

"I'm just asking!" Shelly said, getting defensive.

"Well, I don't know," Vanessa said shortly, "We don't need to worry about that, right now."

"Maybe you don't," Shelly grumbled.

"What did you say!?"

"I didn't say anything!"

Her mom responded by cranking up the radio and Shelly rolled her eyes dramatically, going back to sip her coffee.

When they arrived at the Algren house, Vanessa drove up the long paved driveway, parking in front of the double garage.

The gorgeous colonial house, originally belonging to Katherine Blythe, now belonged to Everly Algren. Thus, it had so recently been nicknamed the 'Algren house.'

"Go in through the back or the front?" Shelly asked, looking at the wooden staircase that led to the generous deck overlooking a fabulous back yard, teaming with nature.

Vanessa pulled the keys from the ignition, "The back door is locked."

"Go through the back," Dominic mocked through a loud snort, "Idiot. Are you trying to get us shot?"

"Hey!" Vanessa tsked, sucking her teeth, "I told both of you to quit it."

Still, Dominic smirked at Shelly, making her stick her tongue out at him as she unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car so that her mother could lock the doors.

It was a perfect house, Shelly thought, looking up at it. When she was little, she was sure it had been something out of a fairy tale.

It was artistically designed with varying colored patterns of brick front siding and large palladium windows, four on each side. There was another window, high up near the peaked roof and right above the white door. She had learned, years ago, that the purpose of the window was to let in natural light. The whole house looked like a castle being 2.5 stories and 3,200 square feet with four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. It was only one mile from all the beaches and nestled, hidden at the end of a cul-de-sac in one of Hampton's finest neighborhoods.

Shelly would have killed to live in this house. Being as poor as the Algren's had been, Shelly couldn't understand why when the house was turned over to her, Everly would pack up the whole family and move them to pokey little Washington state, to a town that Shelly couldn't even remember because it was that small and no one had ever heard of it.

' _It probably got too expensive_ ,' Shelly concluded, ' _Or maybe it was too painful_.'

She climbed the long wide brick steps that only led to the brick walkway that went up the house. She was the last one to go inside. It smelled like emptiness and cleaning supplies and out of respect for Katherine, Shelly slipped her shoes off and left them by the door.

The foyer was nice and Shelly turned her head. The house was so big that there was even a spare room attached. Looking outside of the building, it looked like someone had connected a smaller house to the left side of the structure, but it was just another room that Katherine had used as her "formal living room". It held her grand piano covered by a crisp white sheet and there was a couch some feet behind it so that people could listen to her play.

She walked out of the foyer and into the living room. The living room was big too, with a high cathedral ceiling. The television was there, but none of the electricity worked and neither did the heat or the water, which was disappointing. She could see the impressive stone fireplace gathering dust, though it was too hot to use, now.

"Shelly?" she looked up when her mom called her name and saw her mom on the staircase, "We left some stuff here last time, remember? So, get the tape out the drawer in the kitchen and bring it up. The scissors too."

Shelly nodded and took a long sip from her drink. She switched hands as she headed to the kitchen, through the windowed double doors, wiping off the condensation that had built up on the cup.

Because both Katherine and Everly had loved to bake, the kitchen was the heart of the home. Everything was smooth bright wood and slick black granite. The counter was so big that it acted as a table, though there was a separate dining room. The floor was tiled and there were an abundance of cabinets and a double sink. All the appliances were still there, but were unplugged, all made of stainless steel. There was a window above the sink where she could gaze out to the deck if she didn't want to stand in front of the paneled sliding door.

She remembered going over with Kit and helping Everly bake once for one of the church's many successful fundraisers. They had made espresso cheesecake and of course, being only eleven, she and Kit hadn't been allowed to have any.

"Did you get the tape?"

She jumped with a gasp, having not expected her brother to appear over her shoulder and she turned to glare at him, though he looked completely innocent.

"Do you _see_ tape in my hands!?" she snapped, stomping over to one of the drawers to look for it after abandoning her drink on the counter beside the sink.

"Hey, screw you!" Dominic snapped back, "Mom said, get the tape, so get the tape! What's your problem?"

Shelly rolled her eyes and pulled out the thick roll of clear shipping tape, "You scared me. Obviously," she extended her hand, "Here."

Dominic's thick eyebrows knitted together, "No, you gotta help. You're doing Kit's room because, you know, you're 'Best Frie-

"Okay, Dom, got it," Shelly drawled in a bored tone, bumping Dominic's shoulder as she walked past him and up the stairs to the spacious second level, "Mama! Tell Dom to leave me alone!"

" _Both of you knock it off_!" Vanessa yelled from wherever she was in the house, " _Ya' know what_? _Just don't talk to each other_!"

Shelly walked down the hallway and into one of the generous bedrooms where she found her mother taping up a box. The bedroom was still completely furnished as were all the other fifty thousand rooms in the house. None of the furniture had belonged to the Algrens. All of it belonged to Katherine who had been extremely well off. Clearly.

"Why do I have to do Kit's room?" Shelly asked her mother, trying not to whine, "Kit took all of her stuff with her."

"You have to dust," Vanessa pushed some loose hair back, "We haven't been here in two weeks."

Shelly knew better than to question her mother any further and risked hearing the firm "Because I said so!", but she was still a teenager who had teenager feelings and right now, she was kind of irritated.

"Just outta curiosity," she chose her words carefully, not wanting to back talk, "And I mean no disrespect, but why can't we wait until they come back to clean? They can't live in Forks, forever. They can't clean their own house?"

"We're not cleaning their house for them," Vanessa said evenly, "We're doing this for Katherine. I promised Everly I'd do it for at least a little while. It makes her feel better, it makes me feel better and just like us, Katherine loved herself a clean house."

"Do they pay you for it?" Shelly regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth and she winced, right when her mom's head snapped up to give her a firm look, one hand on her hip.

"Is that your business?" Vanessa demanded in a no-nonsense tone.

Shelly shifted her weight, pulling on her fingers to avoid crossing her arms or placing her own hand on her hip. She was already in hot water and had been all week.

"No, ma'am," she mumbled.

"What?" Vanessa leaned forward, "What was that?"

"No, ma'am," Shelly repeated, louder.

"I'm getting sick of your attitude, Shelia," Vanessa's voice wavered and Shelly frowned at the use of her full name, "All week, I've put up with it and if you think people out in the real world are gonna put up with it, then you're in for a rude awakening. You talk like that and end up gettin' killed," she gestured, "You see it on the news all the time."

"Okay," Shelly said, just to show her mom that she was listening.

"You get that from my grandma, your great grandmother," Vanessa said firmly, "There is a time and place for everything, Shelly and you can learn that the easy way or the hard way. You'll be learnin' it the hard way from me, if you don't knock it off. You think me taking your door was a punishment?" she snorted and shook her head, "You don't know punishment."

"Okay," Shelly said again.

"Don't say okay, just change your attitude!"

Shelly breathed a quiet sigh through her nose. Any other time, her mom would demand that she say okay, then shut her mouth. It made her wish her dad was here. Being his only daughter and the baby had its perks. He was super easy on her and would scold her mother when she scolded Shelly.

' _Just because you had a rough day at work_ , _doesn't mean you get to treat me like shit_ ,' she grumbled inside her head. Not only was her mom choir director, but she was a substitute teacher, and sometimes worked long hours.

"Go, Shelly!" Vanessa waved her off, "We have a lot to do and I didn't want to be here more than an hour."

Considering her mom was looking down, Shelly allowed herself to roll her eyes heavily and stalked out of the room to go to Kit's old room. Like Everly and Blake's room, the furniture was still there, even the bed and it's ugly bright floral comforter that made Shelly want to vomit.

She took a seat on the mattress, bouncing with how hard she sat down. She probably could have fallen asleep. She had a long day at school, then a three hour choir practice, it was hot out and she just wanted to go home and take a nap.

With a sigh, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket, smiling at all the text messages she saw. She was popular in school and always had been. She liked to party and was on the cheerleader team and because she was going to be a Senior next year, she was desperately hoping that she would be captain…or at least co-captain if the current captain couldn't decide between her and another girl.

Not only was she a cheerleader, but she was the Vice President of the Black Student Union, in ASB, Honor Society and a bunch of other stuff.

The only thing that sucked about being so popular, is that she had a prepaid phone. She swore that she went through a million minutes in just one day.

"Wow, I can see you're really getting some cleaning done."

Shelly rolled her eyes again, mid-text, "It's not going to take me that long and I can text if I want to," she looked up when she heard her mother's cellphone ring. She cocked her head at her brother, "See? Mama's on _her_ phone."

"Are you going to Tanner's party?" Dominic asked, to which Shelly shook her head.

"Ugh!" she pretended to gag, "No! His parties are gross and someone always brings drugs and alcohol," whether she liked to party or not, she was still faithful and knew better than to underage drink or use drugs, "And you can't go."

Dominic snorted, "I'm grown."

Shelly shook her head, "Not when you live with mom and dad, you're not. And Tanner's a creep. He got suspended when he was a Freshman and if you go I'm telling. No one likes him."

Shelly hated all of her brother's friends. They were all loudmouth airheads who couldn't tell the difference between their left and right feet. They would make obnoxious, crude boy comments and she was pretty sure that one of them had been arrested for vandalism. Besides, when Dominic was with them, he changed and pretended that he wasn't a boy who had grown up middle-class.

It was safe to say that Dominic hadn't met his friends in church.

Clicking through more of her texts, Shelly frowned and looked up, "Hey, Dom? Did Ca-

" _WHAT_!?"

Violently startled by her mom's shriek, Shelly shot to a standing position and hurried out of Kit's old room after her brother Dominic who had already rushed down the hallway.

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness," her mother was saying, one shaking hand covering her mouth, "Yes, yes, I hear you, okay. Right, okay, honey, I'm coming, then! Yes! Soon, soon, I promise!"

The phone was hung up without her saying goodbye and Shelly's eyes widened when she saw her mom's face begin to crumple. Her mother never cried.

"Mom!" Shelly gasped, forgoing her usual term of endearment, "What's wrong?"

Vanessa shook her head and quickly composed herself, running out of the room, with her phone in her hands, "No, let's go. We have to go! Dom, let's go! I need to text your father and tell him to come home!"

Shelly was starting to get scared and almost wanted to cry. She had never heard her mother speak like that in such a frantic way. Her mom had mentioned their father so nothing was wrong with him. Was something wrong with her grandma or her grandpa? Had one of her cousins died or any of her aunts or uncles? Her uncle Sam had a stroke last summer. He had made a lot of progress, but had he had another one?

Through all her panicked thoughts, she ran so fast that she almost fell down the stairs and she cried out when her foot twisted, causing her phone to fall out of her pocket. Quickly, she picked it up and put on her shoes, stumbling out of the house so that her mom could lock the door.

"What's going on!?" Shelly demanded, but no one answered her.

"Just get in the car, Shelly!" Vanessa snapped.

Shelly did as she was told and she hadn't even closed the car door yet when her mom tore out of the driveway, the tires screeching against the pavement.

"Mama, where are we going?" Shelly's voice wavered.

She heard her mom take a deep breath and the car slowed down a little. Though when her mom spoke, Shelly could hear the tears and panic in her voice.

"I'm taking you and Dom home," she said, "I have to pack some clothes and get on a plane."

Shelly bit her lip, "Can I come with you?" she felt like a child when she asked, but despite fighting all the time, she hated being away from her mom.

"No, baby, you're staying here with your dad," Vanessa said firmly, "You guys can't come, just me."

Shelly swallowed thickly, "Well, where are you going? How long are you going to be gone?"

"Shelly," Dominic warned, "Leave her alone."

"I don't know how long," Vanessa answered, "Not too long, okay?"

"Where are you going?" Shelly asked again, hating how whiny her voice came out.

"…I have to go to Forks," Vanessa's voice cracked, "Everly needs me."

Everly? That stopped Shelly short and she leaned back in her seat, appalled. Did something happen to Blake?

"Did Everly call you?" Dominic asked, "What happened?"

"Oh, so _you_ can ask questions?" Shelly scoffed, but was ignored.

"Please, I need to focus on driving, right now," Vanessa said, "I don't want to talk about it."

Shelly opened her mouth, but Dominic beat her to it, "We want to come with you. We love Everly and Blake just as much as you do. You're always saying that we're grown. Why can't we come?"

"It's not appropriate," Vanessa took a sharp turn, "And I'm sorry, no offense, but you're gonna be in the way. I can't stay with Everly and watch you two or get you food or anything like that."

Shelly bristled, "You don't need to watch us."

"BE QUIET!" Vanessa boomed, "Stop, okay, stop! You're both staying here, with your dad—he's on his way—and that's that, no back talk! This is grown up business and like it or not, you two are still _my_ babies and as long as you live under _my_ roof, you will do as your mother tells you."

It was tensely silent after that and Shelly realized, a little too late, that she had left her iced coffee on the kitchen counter. She hadn't even drank half of it.

She perked up, straightening in her seat when she saw her dad's Lexus parked in the front. She wondered how he had been able to come home like that. Her father, Raymond worked as an executive director for a car company and often worked long hours and sometimes didn't even get weekends off.

"Daddy!" she cried, when she saw him still in his car.

Quickly, she jumped out, just as he was getting out, carrying his briefcase and looking at his phone.

Raymond was forty-six and tall, wearing a crisp suit. He had salt and pepper hair in the same texture as his son and had a small mustache and a goatee speckled with gray. His wide forehead had a few deep wrinkles from stress, but he was still handsome.

"Shelly!" Raymond said in his deep voice, opening up his arms, "Hey, you."

"Daddy, what happened?" Shelly demanded, fixing her bright eyes on him.

She frowned when her father grimaced and glanced over at her mother who was quickly approaching.

"Hey, baby…" Raymond's eyes followed Vanessa as she rushed into the house, then he sighed and looked down, addressing Shelly, "It's okay."

"No, tell me what happened!" Shelly insisted, "Did Blake have a heart attack or a stroke? Tell mama I have to go with her. Kit's going to be upset and Indigo's going to be upset and Everly's going to want to be with Blake so-

" _Nothing_ ," Raymond interrupted her firmly, getting Shelly to stop her rant as he touched her shoulder, phone still in his hand, "Nothing happened to Blake."

Shelly blinked. It had been three months since the Algrens left and two years since they had stopped speaking to everyone and going to church. Indigo had been six, then, so how old was she now? Eight? Nine? The small child had always been hyper and bouncing all over the walls, so Shelly wouldn't be surprised if she had gotten hurt on the school playground or at home.

"Did Indigo get hurt?" she asked. She bounced on her toes, "I'm going crazy, please tell me! What happened!?"

Raymond sighed heavily and Shelly bit her lip, noticing that her father's dark brown eyes looked a little weird. Had he been crying?

"Shelly…" he started in a gravelly voice, "I'm _so_ sorry, sweetie."

Shelly's heart began to pound in her chest as her father swallowed thickly, then inhaled and opened his mouth to speak.

"Kit's in the hospital. She tried to kill herself."


	34. Tears Remind You You're Alive

Indigo sat in her assigned seat at the round gray table in her small third grade classroom at Forks Elementary school, home of the Puddle Jumpers.

It was recess time, but because it was raining, they had an indoor recess where they could work on homework, play games, or read. Some days, as a whole classroom they would play games together.

She adored her classroom. Most of the floor space was taken up by three medium-sized round tables, all gray and each having their own set of four different colored chairs. The walls were papered with colorful drawings and projects that the students had completed over the course of the year. Even the whiteboard was colorful with fun magnets that held up a calendar sheet marked 'April' and cute handmade posters that held their schedule, their objectives for the day and a list of their weekly vocabulary words.

"Wow, that looks like a fun book."

Indigo peeked up from the book. She was reading 'Babymouse #1: Queen of the World!' The book had recently come out, but Melody, who was also one of her table mates, had let her borrow it after reading it a million times.

Ms. Johnson was the woman who had spoken. She was a nice lady with curly brown hair and pretty jewelry. She was kind of old, with a lot of wrinkles that deepened every time she smiled and laughed; which was often. She had a soft voice and smelled like cinnamon.

"It is," Indigo responded, nodding to herself, "Melody let me borrow it."

"Ah," Ms. Johnson nodded too, her curls bouncing, "I see. You be careful with that," she tapped the book with her finger, "If you'd like to play or have me get a different game for you, let me know."

"Okay."

Her friends had already invited to her play a board game, but she had been so excited about the bright pink book Melody had brought, she had decided to read instead and was already halfway done.

The phone by Ms. Johnson's desk rang and she excused herself. Indigo didn't mind. She was all too content to get back to her book.

"When you're done with the book," Melody appeared, close over her shoulder and Indigo looked up again, exhaling softly, "We should make pink cupcakes. Like in the book," she smiled at Indigo, hopeful with her suggestion.

Indigo gasped, enthralled by the idea, "We could bring them to soccer practice!"

Melody Rojas-Egger grinned. She was Colombian, the medium deep complexion she inherited from her mother, though her light brown eyes and straight brown hair that was chopped above her shoulders and held back by a green headband, features that must have come from her father.

"Yeah!" Melody agreed happily. She pulled out a chair next to Indigo, "But what about the boys?" she made a face, "They won't eat pink cupcakes."

"Mr. Finn always says you get what you get and-

"-You don't throw a-

"Excuse me, Indigo?"

Melody and Indigo who had been reciting Mr. Finn's slogan he said during PE class, both looked up.

Ms. Johnson was looming over the table again and this time, she looked funny, Indigo thought. Her wrinkled hands were clutched in front of her and she lowered them, placing one on the table.

"Indigo, you need to go to the front office," Ms. Johnson instructed, "You know where to go, don't you? Remember, you went with Aiden when he fell down at recess?"

Indigo slipped her paper bookmark into the book, "Okay. I'll be right back, Melody."

"No, no hon," Ms. Johnson's hand fluttered, then fell back onto the table, "You need to take _all_ your stuff with you. Your book, backpack, everything. You have an early dismissal."

Indigo's eyes widened. She got to leave school already? But they hadn't even done science yet! They were all going to make a vinegar and soda balloon and then for math they were going to make their own family "money."

She usually found the subjects boring, but she liked making stuff and doing projects like Kitty always did.

"Why don't I get your backpack?" Ms. Johnson offered, patting the table, "It'll getcha movin', huh?"

Indigo nodded dumbly and stood up. She pulled her binder closer to her and placed the book on top of it. She turned her head when she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Elliot, a boy with sandy brown hair and blue eyes. She had seen him pick his nose once or twice.

"Why'd'you getta early dismissal?" he asked, "Do you have to go to the dentist or the doctor?"

She scrunched up her nose, "I hope not! I don't remember my mommy telling me."

"Oh," he simpered a little when Ms. Johnson returned with Indigo's neon pink backpack polka-dotted with equally bright white dots and her pink jacket, "Well, I hope you don't have to get a shot. Bye, Indigo."

"Byyyyee."

"Bye."

"Bye-bye."

Different calls of farewells rang out in the classroom and Indigo smiled and waved, giggling when Lillian, Mae, Riya and Jasmine ran up to hug her.

"I'll see you guys, tomorrow," Indigo said, wrinkling her nose when Jasmine's fluffy curls tickled her face, "Ow, Melody, your squeezing too hard!"

"All right, girls, all right," Ms. Johnson interjected, "Come on, Indigo has to go," she held out her arm to bring Indigo around her table and gestured with her other, "Go back and play before recess is over. You too, Melody."

"Awww!" Melody moaned, but did as she was told and trudged away.

"Okay, sweetie, you got everything?" Ms. Johnson asked.

"Yes, I have everything," she walked towards the door with Ms. Johnson's hand on her back, "Thank you."

"Yes, of course," Ms. Johnson smiled tightly and opened the door for her, "I'll see you soon."

Everything at Forks Elementary School, besides the playground, was inside and Indigo liked that. At her old school, some of the classrooms led to outside and they had separate buildings for the gym, the music room and the front office.

Here, in Forks (which she and Jasmine liked to call "Spoons"), the school was very tiny. At her last school, there had been, like, thirty kids in her class! At this one, there were only eleven and she had counted them all and knew them all by name!

She walked down the hallway. It was broad and straight, the carpet brown as well as the walls that showcased some framed art and Indigo had no idea what any of them were supposed to be.

' _Kitty would know_ ,' Indigo decided and perked up. Maybe Kitty was picking her up. She had done so before.

"Hey, there, Indigo! What are you doing?"

Indigo beamed up at the tall sixth grader. She was a heavyset redheaded girl, that Indigo recognized as Lucy. She had helped out in Indigo's classroom once.

"Hi, Lucy!" she greeted, but quickly quieted when Lucy held a finger to her lips. Right, she was near the library, "Hi," she whispered.

"What are you doing?" Lucy repeated.

"I don't know, yet," Indigo shrugged, "I have to go to the front office. What are you doing?"

"I had to pick up something from Mrs. Palmer's inbox," Lucy held up the small stack of papers, "It's my job for the next two weeks. You'll understand when you're in sixth grade. I should go give them to her, but I'll see you later."

"Okay," Indigo smiled, "Bye, Lucy."

"See ya' around," Lucy hesitated, "Do you know where you're going?"

Indigo pointed down the hall, where there was a pair of double doors that led outside, "To the very end, but turn left and don't go outside."

Lucy nodded, "Right, okay. Just making sure."

Indigo waved and continued walking. She liked the front office. She didn't go in there often, but the older ladies who ran it were really nice and it was always really, really warm in there. It was like summer, but cozier like Christmas. Sometimes, Mrs. Smith, who ran the desk, gave her candy.

She went into the office and had the urge to take off her jacket. The space was cramped, the walls, like her classroom, decorated with children's coloring pages, pictures that had been drawn and cards that had been given. There was a row of four chairs near the large windows that overlooked the rainy outside. It had been sunny earlier.

Besides a few teachers milling about, the office was mostly empty and Mrs. Smith spotted Indigo, while carrying a cup of coffee back to her desk.

"Hi," Indigo said, going to stand at the front desk, "Ms. Johnson sent me."

Mrs. Smith smiled with bright red lipsticked lips, "Yes, I can see that, dear. Someone is here to pick you up an—oh, here she is, coming out of the bathroom," Mrs. Smith's dark eyes slid over to the side and Indigo gasped loudly.

"VANESSA!"

She didn't care that she was loudly hushed or reprimanded for her volume. Indigo bolted forward and jumped up into Vanessa's arms, who laughed, a very happy and contagious sound that made Indigo laugh as well.

"Look at you!" Vanessa gasped in her modulated voice, "Oh, my sweet girl, you're so _big_ and it's been _so_ long!"

Indigo giggled as Vanessa began to kiss her forehead and her cheeks. She remembered this woman well. Vanessa had worked for the choir that her parents, grammy and Kitty were in when they went to church. Indigo had never actually gone to the church service on Saturdays or Sundays She had never wanted to and instead stayed home with her mommy.

But that didn't mean she never saw Vanessa. Indigo would see Vanessa when going to church during the Christmas party and to go grocery shopping there instead of going to the real store. Vanessa and her family had been really nice about it and she had once let Indigo pick out two extra desserts to take home.

That had been when they lived in the very itty bitty house and once they had moved to the giant castle house, Indigo never saw Vanessa anymore for a long time. Then, they came to Forks.

"I missed you!" Indigo declared when she was set down, "Wow, you're here, I can't believe you're here, what are you doing here!?"

Vanessa chuckled and took Indigo's hand to pat it, "Calm down, now. Let's get out of here first. You hungry?"

Indigo nodded and tried her best to settle down. She wasn't hungry, not really, but if Vanessa was asking, that meant they would probably go out to eat and Indigo liked going out to eat.

She still clutched Vanessa's hand when the woman turned to speak to Mrs. Smith.

"Do I need to sign anymore papers or are we good to go?"

"You are good to go! See you soon, Indigo."

"Bye," Indigo was eager to leave with Vanessa.

"Did you have a good day at school?" Vanessa asked once they were outside, "Pull your hood up. I don't want you catching any cold."

Indigo used her free hand to yank her hood up, "School was good. We were having indoor recess. Oh! And I'm in soccer!"

"Are you?" Vanessa's voice was light and Indigo nodded. She loved talking about soccer.

"Yes!" Indigo started to skip as they went to Vanessa's car, "I play with my friend Melody and…" she had been about to launch into a funny story when one of her teammates had knocked the ball into the goal with her head, but she stopped when she saw Vanessa's car. It looked like her daddy's car.

"What's wrong, honey?" Vanessa inquired. She opened the door, "I ain't gonna kidnap ya'."

Was this the day? Was this the day she was finally big enough!?

"I don't have to use my booster seat!" she squealed, bouncing up and down.

"Oh, are you supposed to? Your parents didn't mention it. Well, today can be your free day."

"Yay!"

"Just buckle your seat belt," Vanessa reminded and Indigo complied.

"This is _so_ cool!" Indigo said. She felt much smaller and couldn't see as much, but the real seat was much more comfortable and less restricting.

Excitement bubbled in her, though it diminished as Vanessa pulled out of the parking lot. She knew better than to go home with strangers, but Vanessa was no stranger and had said she wasn't here to kidnap.

"Do you live here, now?" Indigo asked.

"No, hon. I'm here to visit and take care of you."

Indigo tilted head her to the side. She liked Vanessa and she hoped that Vanessa felt the same way, but she already had people to take care of her. She had her mommy and her daddy and Kitty. As long as she had them, she was happy.

"But…I have people who take care of me…" she bit her lip, starting to feel anxious, "I want to go back to school…"

"No, baby girl, oh no," Vanessa cooed to her, "I didn't mean to frighten you. Trust me, your school wouldn't have let you come with me if it wasn't safe. Your daddy called and he had a handwritten note faxed over. It's all right."

Indigo had no idea what faxing was, but she took Vanessa's word for it. Still, if her daddy had time to do all that, why couldn't he come and get her? What was he so busy with?

* * *

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

Those sounds were going to haunt Everly for the rest of her life. They would go along perfectly with the image of her finding Kit that morning, lying still in her bed and covered in vomit from being sick all over herself.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

The sounds were coming from the railed bed behind her. The ICU hospital room was devoid of any beauty. The walls were an off-white. There was no decoration at all, save for the curtain that hung limp over the window that showcased the dreary, gross outside.

She leaned heavily against Blake who held her in his strong and trembling arms, his chin atop her forehead. She cried, her knees threatening to give out on her any moment as the blonde doctor started at them with pity.

This is the second time she had been in the presence of Dr. Cullen and again, it was not a social call.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

She tried to stifle her cries in order for Carlisle to speak. Upon coming into the hospital, he had immediately petitioned to take over Kit's case from Dr. Snow. Dr. Cullen, knowing Kit on a personal level could have technically been against the Code of Ethics, but he had already treated Kit and the petition was granted.

The well-renowned doctor looked just as haggard as Everly was sure she looked. This pain was awful, coupled with her shock and disbelief. All she could do was cry. She didn't know what else to do.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

Carlisle took a moment and pressed his lips together, clearing his throat into his fist.

"Kit was admitted Thursday, this morning. After running a number of neurological tests, Kit was deemed unresponsive from an overdose of hydrocodone and Advil. She has slipped into a coma due to a low respiratory rate from severe aspiration on her vomit and a lack of oxygen reaching her brain called hypoxia. We are unsure how long she had been that way before being found and given resuscitation," he nodded at Blake, "At this point, it is a waiting game."

The words were practiced, Everly noticed. As though Carlisle had practiced them in front of his mirror until they became nothing but a monotonous script that he could recite without breaking down.

"I don't understand," Blake's voice cracked and Everly let out another sob. She felt Blake turn his head, then turn it back to address Carlisle, "I-I—a _coma_!? That's, like…" he trailed off.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

Carlisle nodded and Everly was glad he said nothing in response to Blake's stuttering. Tears fell unchecked down her cheeks and dripped from her chin. There was no reason to wipe them away as her eyes would only brim up with more.

"Is she," Everly hiccuped, her breath hitching with every word, "Is she…in a-a-any p-p-pain?"

"No," Carlisle was quick to assure her, "No pain."

"She's not-" Blake cut himself off again, "I mean, can she…?"

"Hear you?" Carlisle suggested and nodded when Blake hummed, "Yes, she's still _there_. When light is shone directly into her eyes, her pupils still constrict and that's a good thing, though she is a three on the Glasgow coma scale. Talking to her," he began to talk with his hands, "Reading to her, holding her hand…it all helps, okay?"

At this point, Everly had to cover her mouth with her hand to hold in any pitiful noises that wanted to escape. Her baby was in a coma. An actual coma like in all those Lifetime movies. It didn't seem real—like it could actually happen. Coma. Coma. Coma. Coma.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

The sounds were getting quieter, Everly's brain already getting used to them or maybe it was shutting down. She felt a little faint.

She turned her own head. Kit lie in the hospital bed. There was a clear tube taped to her nose and a ventilator hose shoved down her throat, also held by tape covering the lower half of her opened mouth and her cheek. There was another plastic tube inserted into one of her veins, feeding her fluids, nutrients and some kind of medicine. She was hooked up to a catheter for urine output, the blanket pulled up to her chest. Her eyes were closed.

Everly couldn't look for long. She felt her face crumple again as Blake's hands began to run up and down her arms. Crying was supposed to be a healthy release, but it felt like anything but.

"H-h-how lo-long?" she choked out. The raw emptiness was physically painful.

If at all possible, Carlisle's face fell into a deeper frown, "Right now, we can't tell you that. Every case is different and we're not sure of the damage done."

"Dama-" she was cut off when Blake squeezed her arms. A silent plea.

"So, what do we do, what can we do?" Blake asked desperately.

"The best thing for you two, is to take care of _yourselves_ ," Carlisle said firmly, "This is so, that if and when Kit comes out of this state, you both are able to take care of _her_. I know you have your youngest child, Indigo?"

"Mhm," Everly gasped through a sniffle, "I-I called my friend, V-Vanessa and she f-flew down…:" she hiccuped, "S-she's getting Indigo from school to take her o-out and sit with her at home," she looked up at Blake, forcing him to raise his head, "I told Blake—asked if I should call someone, but-

"I'll be fine," Blake smiled in the pained way of someone who really wanted to cry, "I just-" he shook his head and pressed his lips together.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

Everly glanced over at Kit, then back at Carlisle, "She lied," she told him, looking into his eyes.

Carlisle was watching her with concerned eyes, "Excuse me?"

"When you called me after the appointment and told me about the marks on her wrist," she reminded him, "I…b-believed _her_ ," her voice cracked, "I always have and-" she covered her face with her hands as her shoulders shook.

Blake tried to soothe her and she let him turn her into his chest, "Okay, darling, okay. Shhh. Come on, let's go sit with Kit."

She nodded against him and let him take her over to the rocking chair where he sat down and pulled her onto his lap.

"Thank you, Carlisle," Blake said, "Thank you so much."

Carlisle forced the same smile Blake had. He didn't deserve thanks, "I'll leave you be. Nurses will be coming in every two hours to move her. It prevents bedsores and atelectasis. Everyday, they'll come in and clean her teeth, bathe her and take care of her needs."

Everly kept her eyes on Kit and heard Carlisle's footsteps retreat. She reached out and took Kit's hand. It was still warm. Whether she was in pain or not, with all the tubes, she didn't look peaceful or comfortable.

"Mommy's here," she assured Kit in a broken voice, "And daddy is too," she breathed in shaky sobs, "We're r-right here, Kit Kat and it's gonna be o-okay. You're gonna w-wake up and I'll be here. E-everything will be okay."

She looked down at Kit's hand. She was still wearing the promise ring Emmett hand given her. The locket was placed carefully in Everly's purse. It had been removed when the doctors had stripped Kit to put her in the standard hospital gown.

Emmett's name had only been a brief, whispering thought and she blinked.

"How are we going to tell Indi?"

Apparently, Blake had already thought of it, "Kit's sick," he tried, "And in order for her to get better, she has to sleep for a long time. Who knows if she'll believe it," he said when Everly snorted, "But I don't want her to be scared. We still need to keep a routine, she still needs to live her life and go to school until Kit wakes up."

"Agreed," Everly whispered, squeezing Kit's hand, "I'm going to stay here tonight."

She let her head fall back against Blake's shoulder. It felt like she was in shock. She didn't know what to do or what to say. Her brain was short-circuiting and she couldn't think straight.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

* * *

"Daddy!"

Blake swept Indigo up into his arms when she ran close enough and he held her close, pressing his chin into her shoulder.

"Hey, Princess," he murmured softly, "Did you like your surprise? You got to see Ness?"

"Yes!" Indigo gasped, pulling back to look at him, "She took me out to eat and Vanessa said living here would drive her crazy and it's like living in a cereal bowl and it's sad and pathetic and I got to leave school early and oh, Melody asked if we could make cupcakes, but-

Blake's lips twitched only slightly and he looked over Indigo's shoulder as she continued to ramble. He nodded at Vanessa when she came into the living room, drinking from a to-go cup.

He shifted Indigo in his arms and placed a hand over her mouth, "Thanks for picking her up from school, Ness."

"Of course, thank you for letting me use your car," Vanessa laughed, "We had fun. She didn't have dinner, yet and I made some coffee for you."

"Daddy!" Indigo shrieked in laughter when she removed his hand.

Blake kissed her forehead, "Why don't you go watch TV in mommy and daddy's room for a minute?" he suggested, placing her down, "Did you get any homework?"

He watched her shake her head absently, more interested in their guest, "You're not leaving, are you?"

"Not yet," Vanessa managed a small smile, "But your daddy will come get you when it's time to say bye."

Blake's heart twisted when Indigo fixed her big eyes on him. His baby, his little girl. He wanted to cry.

"Go upstairs," he pressed, "I'll call you and we'll make dinner together. Whatever you want and you can sleep in my bed tonight."

Indigo looked delighted at the fact and hurried to go upstairs.

Immediately, when he heard his door shut, Blake brought his hand up to cover his eyes, having to press his lips tightly together to hold in a sob. He gasped in a loud breath, then lowered his hand, trying to pull himself together.

Vanessa looked at him with pity and in a low voice, asked, "How is she doing?"

He shook his head. It was a little past 5:00PM, which meant it had been almost nine hours since Everly found Kit. They were planning to just let her sleep and go in late to school due to their meeting with the superintendent.

What a mistake that had been. He remembered the exact time his wife had screamed for him to call an ambulance. 9:37AM. Luckily, Indigo's school had started at 8:45AM and she hadn't been home.

"Blake? Oh, honey, come sit down."

He must have been crying louder than he intended and he held his breath, letting Vanessa guide him to the couch where he sat down. He was wearing his glasses and they were falling down his nose.

"An overdose," he breathed, "Oh my gosh," he buried his face in his hands, "That's _my kid_ …I-I should have _known_ —she _cried_ about how much she didn't—and I made her _stay_ ," he sniffled into his hands, "I've taken care of her, her _whole_ life…I didn't _think_ —I-I-

"Shhhh, hush," Vanessa soothed, him, touching his shoulder, "It's taught that as parents, we're supposed to keep our kids in school, off the streets and off the pole, if you know what I mean," Blake did know what she meant, but said nothing, "I know that raising Kit was hard. Especially when Everly was pregnant with Indi and ya'll moved into that shoebox."

Blake nodded. After Kit was born, it was such a struggle to get on their feet, that they all moved in with Everly's mother, Katherine. Then, when Kit was eight, Everly discovered she was pregnant and already feeling like a burden and a chore for her mother—while the old woman would never ever say such a thing—they had decided to get a place of their own and moved into a one bedroom apartment.

It was a struggle each and everyday. Living paycheck by paycheck. Everly worked one job, at a desk, he worked two and while Katherine would babysit, Blake could tell it was easier than having them all live in her house, no matter how big it was.

When Katherine had died, she had left them everything—literally. They had all moved back into her house and it gave Everly and Blake the base to start their art careers. Kit had been so happy, then…

"It was hard," he choked out, "And it was worth it. I'd do it all over again. I'd do it _right_."

"You did it right, this time." Vanessa assured quickly, "You did, Blake, I promise you that…you're still doing it right. Kit was loved and happy…" she sighed, "Look, I know this must hurt and I bet there's a whole lotta questions running through that thick skull of yours, but you can't change what happened. Right now, you need to stay in the present. You have a little girl upstairs waiting for you and you need to be there for her too."

He nodded in agreement. On the drive home, he had practiced dialog both in his head and out loud, putting together what he could to say to Indigo. He couldn't recall ever reading about this in parenting books from the library.

"How is she doing?" Vanessa asked again.

"'Bout the same…she's no worse, so…" he trailed off, shrugging, "I don't know what Eve and I are going to do—you know, who comes home when and who stays," he shook his head again, "I really appreciate you coming down here. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Vanessa said, "God has a special plan for Kit. He's keeping an eye on her and your family. Always has, always will. You have to have faith."

Blake nodded again. It had been a few years since he had attended church. They had stopped going when Katherine passed. As time passed, the praying before meals stopped and they no longer read stories from the bible together. It had been too hard.

Was now a good time to turn back to his faith?

"I still have my faith," he answered Vanessa's question, as well as his own, "I'm just not as…public as I used to be."

"I don't blame you," Vanessa looked around the house, "I only spotted one church and it was Lutheran. It's an interesting little town. Can I ask…has anyone here ever seen a black person?"

Blake didn't understand and for a moment, thought he had misheard, "What?"

"Now, I'm serious," she told him, "People were lookin' at me like I was a unicorn or had five heads," she rolled her eyes, "I swear, I thought the restaurant we were in thought I had the whole entire building in my pocket. Believe it or, we don't just exist on 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.'

Unlike Hampton, where the racial makeup of the town was more diverse compared to Forks, Forks was a town that was predominantly white and sure Blake had seen and met a few people of different ethnicity and was aware of the Reservation on La Push, but he hadn't seen any black people. Truthfully as friendly as the townsfolk were, it was a small town and there was the stereotypical undercurrent of racism that mostly pervaded the logging communities on the Peninsula.

"They probably haven't," he admitted to Vanessa, "No one's given you any trouble, have they?"

Vanessa waved him off, "I can handle myself. I was simply curious. Seriously, Blake…they were taking pictures," she winked at him as she stood up, "I'm going to head to the hospital and check on Everly, okay?"

"Thank you."

"Need anything?"

"No. Dr. Cullen said it's best to keep a normal routine," Blake responded monotonously, "Which I'm all for. It means cooking dinner and doing everything we'd usually do, I guess," he looked up at the ceiling, "Indigo! Come down here, please! Ness is leaving!" he called up to her.

"Do you need me to get her from school, tomorrow?" Vanessa asked in a rush.

Blake hesitated, "I don't know. Depending on how she's feeling, I might keep her home. It's almost the weekend, anyway. We'll see."

"Okay," she said, just as Indigo hopped off the last step.

"Bye, Vanessa," Indigo drawled, giving her a hug and turning to Blake as she did so, "When's mommy and Kitty coming home?" she looked back up at Vanessa, "Did you only come to see me?"

"I'll see them soon, honey," Vanessa promised. Blake saw her swallow thickly, "I'll see you soon, too," she bent down to kiss Indigo's forehead, "Bye-bye, be good for your daddy. Goodbye, Blake."

"Bye," Blake said. He should have been a gentlemen and showed her to the door, but he stayed where he was, "Will you call me tonight or text me?"

"Ugh, texting," Vanessa shook her head, "Boy, I will _call_ you, like a _real_ person," she stressed opening the door, "And you do the same if you need anything."

"You have somewhere to stay, tonight? You know that you can stay here."

"Stay here, stay here!" Indigo begged.

Vanessa smiled at her, "Maybe. A cute little old lady runs some kind of lodge and I'll stay there if…" she paused and stepped outside, poking her head over the door, "We'll talk about it. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Night night!"

Blake slumped further into the couch. He was exhausted. The gloom crept into his veins, seeped into his pores and aided his beating heart that even sounded sad. He imagined a black storm cloud was hanging over his head. Kit should have been here with him, laughing and chattering and helping him and Indi make dinner while Everly set the table or fixed a plate of cookies for later.

"Daddy, what's wrong?"

He had to straighten up as Indigo climbed onto his lap and he winced when her elbow dug into his thigh. He placed his hands under her armpits and helped settle her on his lap.

"Honey, I need to tell you something," he bit his lip. He had to stay strong for this, "And it might be hard to understand. So, if you have questions, then that's okay."

She was immediately wary, picking at her nails, "Am I in trouble?"

"No, no. You didn't do anything wrong."

She bobbed her head up and down, biting her own lip.

"This morning—princess, you know that sometimes…sometimes when people get really sick, they have to go to the hospital and get better medicine?"

"Yes…"

He paused, looking away for a moment. He hoped he was doing this right. He wanted to be honest, but he didn't want to frighten her. Especially because it was Kit.

"Well, Kit's really sick right now and has to be in the hospital, but Carlisle, Emmett's daddy is taking _really_ good care of her…" he trailed off again, testing the waters to see how she would react.

"Oh," deep wrinkles creased Indigo's forehead, "What kind of sick?"

"The kind of sick where she has to sleep," he explained, "She's in a really deep sleep and she has to sleep in the hospital, so that doctors and nurses can keep an eye on her."

Indigo's eyes became glassy with tears, "Why can't we keep an eye on her here?"

Blake soothed Indigo's forehead with his hand. He wished they could bring Kit home and keep an eye on her, like Indigo suggested, but Kit obviously needed the medical care and realistically, through this, he would still need to work.

"We can't watch her here. She needs doctors who will make her better and help her rest. Mommy's with her, making sure she's not lonely. So it's just gonna be you and me tonight."

Indigo's lower lip quivered and Blake's heart dropped. She looked so unhappy, her lips turned down and he tsked when a tear slid down her face. He didn't want to hasten her not to cry, for fear she would cry even more and then he would cry.

"Is she gonna be asleep forever?" she sounded so heartbroken and Blake was desperate to make her feel better.

"No," he promised without thinking, "No, not forever."

"Well, why can't we go sleep with her!?" she whined, more tears welling up in her eyes, "Why can't I be with Kitty!?"

"You _can_ be with her," another promise that he didn't know if he could keep, "Okay? Just not, tonight. It's too late, I let Ness borrow the car and we need to make dinner."

His voice cracked again and he reminded himself that he had to hold it together. He kissed her head.

"It's all right. It's going to be okay."

Indigo nodded, sniffling against her plugged up nose. She wiped it on her arm, leaving a shiny patch on her sleeve. Blake didn't admonish her.

"What about Emmy? Is he there? Why does he get to be there?"

It took Blake a moment to understand who Indigo was talking about.

"No, Emmett's not there," he said, "Only mommy and Vanessa. That's it."

He thought that would make her feel better if only slightly, but she looked the same and when she spoke, there was a meekness in Indigo's voice that Blake had never heard before.

"Is Kitty gonna die? Like Grammy?"

Blake quickly scrubbed his tears away. Indigo had been six when Katherine passed. He and Everly had decided that she was too little to be in the room when she passed.

"Carlisle's the best doctor ever," he answered, "He's going to do his best to take care of her. You know what? How about, I keep you home from school tomorrow and even some days next week? Ness can go and get your schoolwork-

"I don't wanna miss school," Indigo interrupted. Another tear slipped down her face, "Or soccer. But maybe…" she wheedled, "Maybe I can just miss tomorrow?" she wiped her nose again.

Blake tried to smile. He would have to call Sofía, Melody's mom and ask if she would be able to take Indigo to soccer some days. First, he would see how Indigo did over the weekend.

"Sounds like a plan," he wiped another tear away from Indigo's face with his thumb, "Do you have anymore questions?"

Indigo placed her pointer finger on her chin, "Mmmm. Can we have mac and cheese for dinner? With lots and lots of cheese?"

Blake was shocked. Perhaps kids processed things differently and that's why Indigo was taking things in stride. Or maybe he hadn't explained things right and Indigo really didn't understand what was happening. Did she think that Kit could be woken up with 'True Loves Kiss' and Emmett would swoop in and save the day?

' _I should have taken her to Carlisle_ ,' Blake thought, dejected, ' _Maybe he would have done a better job_. _I'm sure he's dealt with children before_ … _he does have five of his own_.'

"Can we?" Indigo pressed, getting impatient, "I'm hungry," her breath still hitched.

"Whatever you want," he told her, "And we'll have ice cream after."

"Yay!" Indigo gasped, "Come on!" she rushed off into the kitchen.

Alone, once more, it was like all the energy left Blake's body. In order to make dinner, he had to get up and he didn't know if he could do that. His whole body hung limp, like each limb was made of lead. Even his eyeballs felt heavy in their sockets.

" _Daddy_ , _I can't reach the box_!"

Blake did get up, but it was a slow, painful effort. Snails and slugs probably moved faster then him. He couldn't be like this, not in front of Indigo who he so desperately wanted to shield her from this.

Being in such a small town who had nothing to do but gossip, that wasn't likely.

' _Keep a normal routine_ ,' he chanted in his head. It would be his new mantra, ' _Keep a normal routine_ ,' he entered the kitchen, ' _Normal_ , _normal_ , _normal_ , _normal_ …'

"Up there," Indigo pointed to the cupboard, cutting off his chanting, "The Fairly Odd Parents one!"

Blake reached up and opened the door, plucking the box from the shelf, "Why don't you get a chair and the cheese from the fridge?"

"The milk too?" Indigo asked, going to pull a chair from the table. It screeched against the floor and was probably leaving marks, but Blake didn't scold her for it.

"Yes," Blake answered. He bent over to the drawer under the oven and pulled out a stockpot. This was normal. This was really normal.

He itched to call Everly to check on her and ask about Kit, but he couldn't do that right now. Vanessa was with them and Carlisle was too, so that brought him a little comfort—no, it didn't. He was lying to himself. It brought him no comfort.

Nothing regarding this situation would ever bring him comfort until Kit opened her eyes and she was brought home.

"We need butter," Indigo interrupted his thoughts once more, holding the stick, "And I can't cut it."

"You can cut it," Blake said, lifting her up on the chair, "Just not by yourself without adult supervision."

Cooking dinner was usually a fun and happy time. It was something they all enjoyed doing.

Blake tried his best to keep that fun and happy air. He didn't want Indigo to worry or be upset anymore than she already was. So, he tried to laugh and have fun and smile and pretend like everything was okay.

However, it wasn't okay. All other emotion was pushed from his body. It was just a constant wave of sadness. He had no desire to sit at the table and shovel forkful after forkful into his mouth, when his eldest was in the hospital being fed by tubes and IV's.

But he also had a youngest. A sweet, fun, bouncy, carefree little girl who loved soccer, the beach, books, pink and her big sister—her first 'mommy' more than anything in the entire universe.

Is that when things had started to go downhill for Kit? When Dr. Cilia had requested that at age six, they make the transition from Indigo calling Kit 'mommy' to Everly? That had to have broken Kit's heart, despite her reassurance that she was fine with it.

Maybe that's when she felt like she could no longer talk to them.

"Indigo?" he asked hesitantly, peering into the pot. The water wasn't boiling, yet.

"Yes?" Indigo looked at him. Her eyes still didn't have that usual spark.

"Princess, you know—I know I joke around with you and cover your mouth, sometimes, but you do know that if anything happens or if you ever have something on your mind or a question…you can come to me or mommy about it? You know that, right?"

She answered, but like her eyes, her voice was still too quiet, "I know. Kitty tells me all the time."

His eyebrows knitted together slightly, "She does?"

"Uh-huh," Indigo nodded, "She's always asking me if I'm okay and if people are being nice to me at school and at soccer and she says if they're not, I _have_ to tell you and mommy as soon as I can and she says if I feel like I can't tell you, then I can tell her. No matter what."

More tears welled up in Blake's blue eyes. Indigo understood that very clearly. Why hadn't Kit? What sign had he missed?

Something wasn't right. Obviously, he knew Kit was being picked on at school, but as soon as they had found out, he and Everly had been working on taking care of that. They had a meeting with the superintendent that _very morning_ and Kit had known about it.

"Well," he said. He cleared his throat, "I'm very glad she talked to you about that," he began to walk towards the freezer, "Let's see what kind of ice cream we have, hm?"

He already knew what kind of ice cream they had. Cookies N' Cream.

' _Emmett_ ,' he decided as he pretended to look for ice cream, He needed answers. That boy would probably take Kit's secrets to his grave, ' _And that's exactly what's going to happen if he doesn't talk to me_.'

He wasn't even sure if Emmett was aware of what had happened unless he heard the ambulance sirens. Blake hadn't called the Cullen house, neither had Everly and Vanessa didn't know the number. Due to patient confidentiality, Carlisle wouldn't say anything to him.

Blake felt almost obligated to call them and speak to Emmett. He had never been keen on Kit dating an older boy, especially one of his monstrous size who had two brothers. Call him paranoid, but it had worried him. What if something happened? What if Emmett, one day, had taken Kit somewhere far into the woods and stabbed her or something? Or worse?

Everly had told him to stop being so paranoid and let Kit live her life. He was surprised that Everly was so accepting of Emmett right off the bat. Since the day she had found out she had been expecting, she had distressed over who to let be around Kit, where to send her to school, if she should give her pepper spray in sixth grade when she had her first male teacher.

His wife, bless her amazing and graceful soul, had awful things happen to her and so had Katherine at the hands of her father, Everly's grandfather, Kit's great-grandfather when they were both young girls.

The man had been sent to prison and he had died there soon after, murdered by his fellow inmates once they had found out what he was in for…

Blake shook his head to clear out the thoughts. He hadn't wanted his mind to take that path. He had gotten way off subject.

The point was, that he was surprised at Everly's reaction to Emmett as he, himself had been incredibly wary. But who the heck were they, Everly chastened, to try and keep their daughter from true love which she so clearly had for this boy and he, if not stronger, had for her? After all, he had given Kit a promise ring, declaring that he would always love her, no matter what.

Didn't he deserve to know, that his love was in the hospital? Kit probably wanted him…

"Daddy, the water!"

Indigo's keen exclamation brought him out of his thoughts once more. The loose top on the pot was shaking, steam leaking through the cracks.

He went forward and told Indigo to watch out, lifting the lid so that he could poor the macaroni in. The water settled down and he placed the box aside.

"Daddy?" she asked tentatively, "Before we go to bed, can we call mommy?"

Blake could hear the quaver in her voice. He wanted to hold Indigo tight and never let her go, "Of course we can, honey."

He forced another smile, trying not to look distressed. He passed a hand through his hair. He was so tired, but he wasn't working tomorrow and Indigo wasn't going to school, so at least they could sleep in.

Indigo must have noticed how awful he looked because in a hopeful voice, she chimed, "I love you."

Blake wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. Indigo relaxed against him and with her head buried in his shoulder, he let a tear slide down his face. His daughter, his baby, safe and protected in his arms. The hug couldn't last long enough.

"I love you too, Princess."


	35. Take My Hand, And Don't Let Go

**Friday** **(Day One):**

News about what had happened to Kit spread quickly throughout the town. It was like those wild brush fires.

Rumors started circling the schools, that a senior from Forks High, Kit Algren, had attempted suicide.

It was all the Cullens heard about when they stepped out of their car on Friday.

 _"Is she in the hospital!?"_

 _"I don't know!"_

 _"I heard ambulance sirens!"_

 _"I didn't know anything, I heard it from Tony."_

 _"I literally just saw her, yesterday."_

 _"I keep thinking about all the classes I-I had with her. I had, like, two."_

 _"She was in my Spanish class."_

 _"She's so nice!"_

 _"Nothing ever happens around here!"_

 _"I can't believe it!"_

 _"You see this shit on TV, but, like, Forks!?"_

 _"I feel so bad."_

 _"Oh my God, the Cullens showed up."_

 _"Look at Emmett. Weren't they dating!?"_

 _"Did they break up?"_

 _"Is that why she killed herself!?"_

 _"She killed herself because they broke up!"_

Emmett startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he whipped his head to the side, then dropped it to look at Alice.

"We can go home," she whispered to him, "Esme said it would be okay. The humans would understand. We can just be at home and go see Kit tomorrow."

They were given permission, by some chick named Vanessa—Kit had mentioned her a couple times—to go to the hospital and see Kit on Saturday. Kit had been admitted Thursday, but Everly and Blake needed some time.

The call had come early that morning.

Much earlier that morning, around 3:00AM, his family had returned, early from their hunting trip. Esme looked confused, he didn't bother to look at Rosalie, Edward had probably gone off to Bella's and Alice and Japser…

They had no blood circulation, yet Emmett had never seen his siblings so pale. He actually thought that Alice might pass out. She wasn't her usual graceful self and needed Jasper's support to take each and every step.

He was about to ask what was wrong, when she had stared at him with bright eyes that were darkening by the second.

" _Please_!" her voice had been shrill, " _ **Please**_ , _don't ask_. _Carlisle_ _said I-I can't_ , _I'm_ _ **so**_ _sorry_ ," and she and Jasper had retreated to their room.

At first, Emmett hadn't stressed about it. He had other things to worry about.

On Wednesday, after leaving Kit's house, he had planned to go straight to the hospital to get his father, but Alice had intervened. There was some kind of heart trauma and Carlisle wouldn't be available for hours nor would he be returning home until very late, Thursday.

It would be sunny, Thursday and as long as Carlisle stayed inside, he could easily pull a long, overworked shift, safe under the florescent lighting. He had done it before under worse circumstances. Forks General Hospital was so small, all the doctors and nurses often worked overtime. Sometimes, 48 hour shifts. Carlisle hadn't gone in until the late-afternoon Wednesday. No one would question it.

The family was due for a hunting trip, anyway and if they were to leave Wednesday night, unable to return Thursday, then there was no point in going to school Friday and they might as well head up to Canada and hunt there and have fun until Sunday or early Monday.

Emmett hadn't really been for it, not even when Jasper bet him a fight if he spotted a grizzly. He would wait to go until Friday and in the meantime, call Carlisle's cell until his father picked up. Carlisle was still playing human and would need to take breaks at some point.

Besides, Emmett was still hoping for Carlisle to yell at Rosalie or at least punish her. More importantly, Kit needed help.

The sounds of her crying still horrified him.

With his mind made up, the rest of his family had left Wednesday night, leaving Emmett to his own devices.

He had called Carlisle and left him voicemails, texted Kit a few times, played some video games, then brought his laptop downstairs and opened up a window.

All night he researched eating disorders, clicked boxes in symptom checklists and saw disturbing images of emaciated girls. He could count every bone and every tendon in the pictures.

And that wasn't due to his enhanced eyesight.

Did Kit look like that? He had never seen her naked before…

He read horror stories about girls who had heart attacks, cardiac arrests from their body giving out. One girl had completely starved herself into osteoporosis caused by severe malnutrition. She had died from fainting on her way down the stairs and had broken every bone in her body.

Another girl died from a ruptured esophagus. It had been her fist time throwing up— _purging_ , the websites called it.

He couldn't read anymore after that. Kit did both. Did that mean she was at higher risk of death? Did that make her anorexic or bulimic?

Thursday, it was sunny. Alice's prediction had been right, but it had changed. The weather couldn't make up its mind. One moment it was lightly sprinkling and the next moment, the sun was shining.

Later Thursday afternoon, Emmett had finally gotten a call from the hospital. It was some lady at the front desk.

" _I was instructed by Dr. Cullen to call and inform you that your father has_ _received_ _y_ _our messages_ , _but_ _he had an emergency to tend to and will most likely_ , _be tied up the rest of the day_. _He will call you when he can_."

Now thinking back on this short conversation, Emmett realized that the "emergency to tend to" had been Kit and before that, Alice must have had some kind of vision while hunting. Perhaps Carlisle had one of his hunches and had called Alice to tell her to keep her mouth shut about what she knew and that's why they had returned early.

It had still been dark out, so the family divided off to do their own things, whether alone or with their significant other. It was one of the few unspoken rules among the family. They took their breaks during the night hours and unless it was an emergency, no one was to be bothered.

Four hours later, at 7:00AM, the phone rang. Esme answered. It was Vanessa Briar.

Checking the caller ID, Emmett would later realize that Vanessa had called from Everly's cellphone.

" _I'm so sorry to disturb you at such an early hour_ ," Vanessa had said in a light, professional voice.

"Oh, that's quite all right," Esme had reassured, "I was up, anyway. What can I do for you, Vanessa?"

" _Ah_ , _um_ …" Vanessa had sighed heavily into the phone, " _I'm not sure how to say this_ — _I understand that Emmett Cullen_ , _your son_ , _is Kit's_ … **boyfriend**?"

The way she spat the word, made Emmett frown and he dropped his backpack from his shoulder, down to his hand.

"Yes," Esme said in a clipped tone, glancing over at him. He arched an eyebrow, "He is."

" _Please_ — _I-I feel bad delivering this news on the phone_ ," Vanessa had started again, " _But Everly wanted me to call_. _Esme_ , _Kit's currently in the hospital_ ," Emmett swore he felt his heart stutter, " _She took an overdose and fell into a coma yesterday morning_."

Esme had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle a cry.

"What!?"

Simultaneously at her exclamation, Emmett had dropped his bag to the ground, his mouth falling open even wider.

An overdose? That didn't even make any sense. Kit wasn't stupid enough to take an overdose. She knew how to read labels and the potential of an overdose was exactly why they didn't keep medication in the bathroom she shared with Indigo.

Besides, he had just seen Kit on Wednesday, and left her a voicemail yesterday. She was fine.

"Emmett…" Edward breathed at his thoughts, "Alice-

" _I'm sorry_ ," Vanessa had apologized, unknowingly interrupting Edward, " _You and your family can come and see her_ , _tomorrow_ , _if you would like_. _Everly and Blake just want some time_ …"

Esme had lowered her hand, "Yes, of course, we understand," her voice trembling, "Is there anything we can do? For Everly or Blake or Indigo?"

"Oh, Indigo!" Emmett had heard Alice gasp from upstairs. She and Jasper still hadn't come downstairs.

As smart as he was, Emmett's brain couldn't register what was being discussed during this phone call. Even if Kit _had_ taken an overdose, couldn't doctors just make her puke and send her on her way? How did taking too many pills put someone in a coma?

He shook his head, right when Vanessa spoke again.

" _Indigo was kept from school_ , _today_ ," Vanessa had informed Esme, " _I'm not sure if there's anything that can be done_ , _right now_ , _but I know_ _Everly would appreciate the offer_. _Thank you_."

"Yes, of course," Esme had repeated, "Thank you for calling and we'll come by, tomorrow. Please, give Everly and Blake our condolences and really, if there's anything that they need…" she trailed off, letting the offer hang.

" _I'll pass that along_ ," Vanessa had promised, " _Thank you_ ," and then she had hung up without another word.

Esme stood like that, the phone to her ear and the dial tone rang out in the silence until it cut off to an automated message.

It was Edward who had gone over to pry the phone from her grasp and placed it back onto the cradle. He drew Esme in for a hug and she broke down into loud sobs, her hands fisted in his light beige leather jacket.

That whole ordeal had happened only an hour ago and now, here they were.

"I don't want to go home," Rosalie piped. No one responded.

Emmett didn't spare his sister a glance. Of course she wanted to stay. All eyes were on them, more than usual and she was practically salivating with all the extra attention she knew she would be getting. They still weren't on speaking terms.

"We can go home," Alice said softly. She looked at Jasper, who had his teeth gritted, "I don't want Jasper here, anyway. You don't have to do this, you don't have to prove anything. We can still play human on Monday. Em, you look so out of it."

"Yeah…" Emmett murmured, "Home…okay…"

"I'm going to stay with Bella," Edward said, his eyes on her rusted red truck, "I'll see you at home."

Alice glared at him, but said nothing as she ushered the rest of her siblings back into Rosalie's convertible.

Emmett, still tense and in shock, didn't know what to say. He could feel Jasper calming him, but he knew he was anything but.

"I'm so sorry, Emmett," Alice whispered, for what was the thousandth time.

* * *

Carlisle heaved out a heavy sigh, snapping his phone shut to slip it into his pocket.

That had been Esme. The kids—Emmett specifically—had tried and failed miserably to attend school. They hadn't needed to go, anyway. They were still supposed to be out hunting and Carlisle would have left Thursday night to go and join them.

Emmett, Esme said, was having a hard time believing what Vanessa had relayed to his family and perhaps that's why he had forced himself to go to school.

He couldn't even take one step in the parking lot and Carlisle was relieved that his children had returned home. His family needed to be together.

Carlisle had tried his best to confirm what Vanessa had already told his family without actually saying it. Unless Everly or Blake gave him permission, he could not speak specifically about Kit's case, what he was treating her for or how she was doing.

And that's exactly why, when getting the chance, he had texted Alice just in case. She was not, under any circumstance, allowed to tell anyone of her vision. Especially Emmett.

Because this was it, Carlisle knew. This had to be why Alice could never see Kit in her visions because there was the pretense that Kit would possibly not be in their lives. Not because she didn't want to be a vampire, but because she might die.

It was a horrible thing to think about and he had promised Kit during their first appointment that things would stay between them. He was going to keep that promise despite the supernatural loopholes.

In his office, about to go check on his favorite patient, he took a moment, steadying himself on his desk.

"Attempted suicide," he had to breathe the words aloud to believed them while disbelief colored his pale face.

Never in a million years did he think—how had he not noticed, when he had done the very same? How many times had he submerged himself deep under water, only to stay under for weeks? How many cliffs had he thrown himself off of, only to plummet into the earth and get back up without a single scratch on him? How many knives had bent and warped when he tried to plunge them into his flesh? How long had he refused blood, until he couldn't take it anymore and slaughtered a herd of passing deer?

Yet, with his past record, he had been unable to even comprehend that Kit would ever _think_ of attempting to take her own life.

He had given her the proper depression and anxiety test and still with the diagnoses of both, her answers showed no signs of suicidal ideation or thoughts.

Yes, Carlisle did blame himself for letting it get this far. There was so much he could have… _should_ have done and he hadn't done it.

But now there was something he could do.

Picking up his clipboard, he left his office and made his way towards the ICU, when one of the nurses working on Kit's case, stopped him.

"Dr. Cullen?" Julia asked, flustered as she gazed at him beneath her eyelashes, "Are you going to Kit Algren's room?"

"Yes," he showed her the chart, "Why? Is there something you or Lina missed in the report?" he flipped through the chart, though he had it memorized down to every word and every period.

"No," Julia shook her head, "It's the mother. When Lina and I changed the bags, checked the catheter—especially when we had to clear Kit's chest through the ventilator—we suggested that she leave, but she refused and watched the whole thing. I mean, it still grosses _me_ out," she pointed to herself, "And she was in the way."

"She was alone?" Carlisle asked, frowning.

"The black woman was with her, right?" Julia asked and Carlisle nodded, "She left when we asked her to leave and said she needed to make a couple phone calls, anyway. Just…watch out for the mother. Oh, and we already updated her on Kit Algren's condition. No change, but O2 levels were a little low."

Julia left, after that, murmuring about another patient. Carlisle, keeping what she said in mind, continued on his way to Kit's room. He wished Julia would drop the 'Algren' and just say Kit.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

He spotted Everly. She was sitting up in one of the beige patient room recliners, her elbow resting heavily on the armrest to hold her head up. Her hollow, red-rimmed eyes were trained longingly on Kit.

She had been in the same position for twenty-four hours, now, her features etched with anxiety.

"Everly?" he spoke softly, trying not to startle her.

It didn't work. She jumped, her head snapping in his direction. He smiled softly to ease her fears and walked further into the room as she turned her full attention back to her daughter.

"Good morning," he went over to Kit and his face fell, "Good morning, dear," he turned to Everly, "I just spoke with the nurse. She informed you there was no change?"

Everly nodded and sighed. She didn't look at him again, but blinked very slowly.

Only when he checked the machines and IV's, did her red-rimmed eyes follow him. He left the ventilator settings as they were. Someone had already turned them up.

"Do you have any questions, for me?"

"…"

He turned his head when he got no response and he saw that Everly's eyes had closed. There was a deep furrow in her brow. He turned fully towards her.

"Where's Vanessa?"

Everly's eyes fluttered, bright with tears, "She stepped out to go call Blake and check on Indigo a-again," she choked out, "H-he kept h-her home f-from school."

"Is he going to come by, later?" he asked and Everly nodded, "Good. That's good. Do you have any questions for me?" he asked again.

Everly reached forward and took Kit's hand. Her face crumpled, "I don't understand!" her voice was timorous and she shook her head, "I-I thought she was sleeping! We had a meeting that morning. I-" she couldn't talk anymore.

Carlisle nodded. Back in Canada, he had once encountered a mom who upon taking a quick peek into her daughters room, thought she was kneeling in her closet, looking for a pair of shoes. It was discovered later, by the older brother that the daughter had in fact, hung herself.

"When Kit came over to meet the family and I—we played baseball," he reminded her, "I overheard her tell my wife that you all play games and you work together. She said you all get ridiculously competitive."

It was a small, pitiful laugh that came from Everly's lips, but it was something and Carlisle hoped, that it offered a small bit of comfort.

"Yes," she said, "We do. She's helped with a few of my paintings and before Indigo got old enough, Kit would go with Blake and take pictures," she looked at Carlisle expectantly, "Have you seen her drawings before?"

"No. Unfortunately, I haven't had the pleasure."

She hummed, "She can show you when she wakes up."

Carlisle nodded slowly, "Certainly. I'd love to see them. She's quite the talented young lady, isn't she?"

One side of Everly's mouth turned up in the smallest of smiles and she nodded.

Carlisle could hear footsteps rapidly approaching and through the hospital scents that he was accustomed to, he could easily identify Blake.

"Everly," the man rushed to his wife's side to stroke her hair, "Oh, darling, sweetheart," he blinked up at Carlisle, "How is Kit?" he demanded, white-faced and frantic. His eyes moved to the screens by Kit's bed, monitoring her bodily functions.

"Her oxygen levels depleted a bit," Carlisle answered, "But they're stable now. As is she. She's stable for the time being."

Blake nodded and bent down to press a kiss to Everyly's forehead and then to Kit's, straightening up to touch her her face.

"Daddy's here, Kit Kat, I'm right here," he turned to Everly, addressing both her and Carlisle, "I didn't think I would get to come, today—I didn't want to leave Indi, but she begged me to come and check on Kit, so Ness and I switched places."

Everly didn't respond to that and Blake kissed her head again, perching himself on the arm of the chair and wrapping his arm around Everly's shoulders. Together, they watched Kit.

Carlisle's shoulders slumped, taking in the sorry sight. He doubted Blake had gotten any proper rest. He knew Everly hadn't, nor had she eaten anything.

"Everly," he started slowly, "If you'd like, I could show you to the cafeteria? Get something to eat, hmm?" he suggested lightly.

"No, but thank you," said Everly without missing a beat, "I'm all right."

"Darling, he's right. You should go and eat something," Blake began to rub her back, "Low blood sugar comes from _your_ side of the family. You need to eat or you'll become faint."

Everly gave him a watery smile, "I'm okay, right now," still clutching Kit's hand, she moved her thumb in small circles, "She needs me."

Carlisle stood silently, watching the interaction.

"You need to take care of _yourself_ ," Blake glanced at Carlisle for a moment, who nodded, "The doctor says that's the best thing we can do for Kit. We need to take care of us in order to take care of her."

If Carlisle was able, he would bring food to the ICU for them, but that was impossible. He didn't want to come off as trying to force Everly to leave Kit alone, but he worried for the mother. She had to be feeling unwell, especially after witnessing the clearing of the ventilator.

"I will," Everly promised, "I just…need another minute. Tomorrow, okay?"

Blake gave in easily, "Okay. Tomorrow."

* * *

 **Saturday (Day Two):**

Kit had now been in her coma for two days, and today was the day, the Cullens and Bella, were given permission to visit.

Out of respect for Emmett and his mate, they had all stayed home to give him time with Kit.

Emmett hated hospitals and he didn't understand how his father could do it. Harsh chemicals from the myriad of drugs poisoned the usual sweet scent of human blood. He could smell death, vomit, festering wounds, and sickness. It made his stomach churn and he held his breath.

His free arm went around his middle and he rubbed his side, having to remember to move his shoulders.

Carlisle was finishing up, briefing him on Kit's appearance as if he hadn't seen some disturbing things in his 69 years. He had, after all, been forced to cover up the murder of two young women and plenty other humans when he had… _accidents_.

Carlisle must have seen the irritation on his face, "I'm simply trying to warn you. If you want to hold her hand, that's fine, just be very gentle."

Emmett nodded fiercely and followed Carlisle to the ICU. He didn't know what to think. Part of him was still in disbelief and shock and he wasn't sure what the other parts of him were feeling either.

"I'm hoping that seeing you will help bring Everly and Blake some comfort," Carlisle said, "Make sure you sanitize your hands before entering the room."

Carlisle held up his hand when they reached the nurses station, making Emmett stop. He watched his father go forward, pause at the door to sanitize his hands and enter a room marked ICU 202.

The entire wall and sliding door going into Kit's hospital room was all glass and he looked at the ground, not wanting to look in on a private moment, when he could already hear it.

" _Blake_ , _Everly_ ," Emmett heard Carlisle speak gently to the young couple, " _Emmett's here_. _Is it all right if he comes in_?"

" _Yes_ , _of course_ ," Everly croaked. Her voice sounded raw and broken.

Guilt flooded Emmett, weighing him down. Everly and Blake…Kit's parents. He had met them, many times in the three months they've been in Forks, but he had never been so nervous. What was he supposed to say to them? 'I'm sorry'? Or, 'hey, by the way, the day your daughter took a bunch of pills, I caught her in the bathroom puking her guts out'?

Did they need to know that? Maybe it didn't matter, anymore. Did any of this matter or was it all about getting Kit out of the coma and getting her home?

" _Darling_ ," Emmett blinked, hearing Blake speak, " _If Emmett's here_ , _why don't we give him and Kit Kat some time alone? You didn't get to eat_ , _yesterday_. _We can go down to the cafeteria_ … _get something to eat and call Indi_?"

Everly whimpered, " _Blake_ …"

" _Ten minutes_?" Blake pleaded with her, " _You need to eat something_."

" _But I_ …" Everly sniffled, " _I don't wanna leave her_ …"

" _I don't either_ ," Blake admitted, his throat clogged, " _But_... _I'm worried about you too and if Emmett's with her_ , _she won't be alone_. _You know how Kit worries about us_ …"

" _I know_!" Everly wailed and Emmett's heart dropped into his feet. He heard Blake shush her.

" _Come on_ , _now_ ," Blake tried to coax, " _Just an apple or some warm oatmeal_."

Carlisle spoke up, " _While_ _you're_ _in the cafeteria_ , _I can assure you that Kit will not be left alone_. _Emmett will stay with her or I will_. _No strangers_. _I know she gets anxious_."

" _She does_ ," sniffled Everly, " _Okay_ … _not long_."

" _Not long_ ," Blake promised. He sounded so relieved, " _Here_ , _lean against me_ , _I've got you_."

Emmett listened to tearful goodbyes and declarations of love. He stiffened when Blake and Everly shuffled out of the room, the latter tucked completely into Blake's side as he held his wife up entirely. Carlisle stayed in the room, near Kit's bedside.

They were both close to Carlisle's frozen age, yet looked so much older, hunched over by the grief of what had occurred.

"Ten minutes," Blake murmured again, "Less if we eat quicker."

Everly answered with the barest of nods, gasping when she saw Emmett, as if Carlisle hadn't told her seconds before that he was there.

"I'm so sorry," Emmett said to them, not knowing what else to do. Blake was staring at him oddly and Emmett shifted his weight.

"I-I'm sure she'd love to hear your voice," Everly managed, clutching tightly to Blake, "Go on, honey," she had to bite her lip and lowered her head.

Emmett nodded, "Thank you."

He met Blake's gaze. The man was still staring at him.

" _We need to talk_ ," Blake mouthed and Emmett nodded slowly, not breaking the stare until Blake led Everly away.

"Brace yourself, Emmett," Carlisle murmured as he approached the room. He pumped sanitizer into his hands.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

Emmett's eyes widened when he saw Kit and he walked as close as he could get to the bed, his breathing getting faster. Carlisle watched him with wary eyes.

Kit's eyes were closed and she looked pale. There was a tube shoved into her gaping mouth and a thinner tube in her left nostril. They were held in place with what looked like masking tape and there was another tube interested into one of her arms. On her right side, Emmett could see the blanket bulging with something else. The scent of urine was pungent.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

She looked so small.

"You can touch her, Emmett," Carlisle beckoned him forward, "Just watch out for the equipment," he made his point by gently running his fingers lovingly over Kit's forehead, "And you can talk to her."

Emmett shook his head, unable to look away from Kit.

"All she did was take pills," he mumbled, "That's it. Why is she in a-a coma?"

Carlisle looked at Kit also, "There's a number of factors. I know it's lot it take in and it's a hard concept to grasp—that taking too many pills can cause so much damage, but that's the reality. It's a very real, life-altering thing that can affect and change even the healthiest of people. I've seen it happen."

Emmett bobbed his head up and down. He still didn't understand. He had seen her _that_ day…

"I'll give you a few minutes," Carlisle clapped Emmett on the shoulder, heading out the door.

"I caught her throwing up," Emmett said, looking at Carlisle's back. His father had stopped walking, but didn't turn around.

"At school," Emmett continued, "That's why I called you so many times. I wanted you to give her medicine or take a look at her. I caught her making herself puke and she said she couldn't do it anymore. She yelled at me and told me to go away…I shouldn't have left her."

He saw Carlisle's back arch and settle with a sigh.

"Take time, Emmett," was all he said, "And be alone with your mate. She needs you right, now."

Emmett nodded and went to take the seat Everly had recently occupied. He took Kit's white hand as gently as he could. It was still warm and she still wore the ring he had given her only four days ago.

How did they get from a fun date at a Japanese garden, to here?

"How?" he asked aloud, "How did we get here, Kit?"

She didn't answer. Was he supposed to talk to her as if she would?

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

"I love you," he reminded her. His eyes burned and he choked on the air that hitched in his throat.

He was crying.

He blinked furiously against the venom and his eyes swept over the many monitors and intravenous drips before going to Kit's face again. There was another freckle on her forehead.

She looked so much thinner than she had on Wednesday. So frail. He could see her collarbones poking out, the skin sticking to her bones.

He frowned at the sight. This time, not over her appearance.

He bent down and pressed his lips to the back of Kit's hand, "I'll be right back," he whispered to her, standing up.

He marched to the door, then stopped, remembering how Blake and Everly felt about leaving Kit alone. He stayed where he was, though didn't have to wait for long.

"Excuse me?" he said to a passing nurse.

"Yes, Sir?" the nurse turned to him, wide-eyed and startled by his appearance.

"This patient-

"I'm not allowed to say anything unless you're family or given per-

"Yeah, that's great," Emmett was cross, "I'm _telling_ you, this patient was wearing a locket. It's oval shaped, silver and really old with roses carved into it or engraved…whatever you want to call it. She _always wears it_."

The nurse blinked her brown eyes at him, tilting her head and reviewed the clipboard in her hands, then at the room number, then back at him.

"Um, okay? Upon admittance to the ICU, clothes and other accessories are usually removed. For the machinery and the patient's comfor-

"But she's _not_ comfortable," Emmett's voice rose, desperately trying to make this stupid nurse understand, "She's _not comfortable_ because some _idiot_ took her locket off!"

This was so disrespectful, making a scene at a hospital like this, but Emmett couldn't find it in him to care. The nurse looked terrified, seconds away from bursting into tears. Emmett didn't feel bad for her. Kit needed her locket, didn't this "medical professional" understand that!?

"Emmett, honey?"

Everly and Blake had returned from the cafeteria, diverting Emmett's attention for a mere second. The nurse took that chance to escape and Emmett followed her with a steady glare.

"Emmett," Everly said again and Emmett shifted his gaze over to her.

She looked a little better…kind of-ish. She was still clutching Blake, but at least, he was pretty sure that she wasn't going to fall over anymore.

"Come on," Blake led Everly back into the room and Emmett had to move aside, further into the room so that they could get past his large frame.

"What's going on?" Everly was lowered into the chair by Kit's bed, looking her over frantically, "Did something happen?"

"I…" the word was awkward and Emmett felt bad, "I'm sorry. No, I—her locket was gone and I freaked. She…she always has it."

"Oh!" Everly gasped and reached down into her purse. She pulled out a small ziploc bag and began to sniffle again.

"It's in here," she fixed her glassy eyes on him, "I'm so frazzled…do you want to hold onto it? I think Kit Kat would like that when she wakes up," she could no longer speak and looked at Blake to do so for her.

"Yes," Blake rubbed her shoulder and took the bag from her trembling hand, "I agree."

Emmett took it from him and said a quiet thanks. He had never felt so awkward and unwelcome in front of Kit's parents before. He felt like he was intruding on another private moment and he had no business being here.

Though, it would kill him to leave.

"I...should probably go," he had to force the words out and he wiped the venom that sprayed on his lips, "Thank you for letting me see her."

Everly nodded and Emmett felt his eyes burn again. Was this the only time he was going to get to see her?

"If it's okay…" he prodded, "I'd like to come back…tomorrow?"

Everly still couldn't speak.

"Please do," Blake said, looking at Kit, "And if your siblings would like to visit, they can. I bet Kit would get bored with just us," he tried to smile, but it was a pathetic try.

"Yeah, okay," Emmett nodded, "Thanks. If there's anything that my family and I can do, please don't hesitate to ask," they had probably heard that a million times already.

Neither responded and Emmett took that as his cue to leave. He didn't feel any better. He felt awful and horrible inside. He didn't want to leave. Maybe he could pull an Edward and take refuge in a tree outside Kit's hospital room?

No. Kit wouldn't like that. She hated it when he watched her.

"Son," it was Carlisle, waiting for him and the blonde jerked his head, "Come with me."

Emmett followed his father to his office, his mind whirling. Blake hadn't asked to talk to him, yet. So, when? Was Emmett supposed to call him or something?

He felt like a child when Carlisle closed the office door and demanded that he sit. It didn't help, that when he did so, Carlisle knelt in front of him, instead of going to sit at his desk.

Emmett began to shake his head, "I _knew_ ," he admitted, "I covered for her a million times. I lied, I-" he stopped shaking his head, "Oh God. What if she did this—I said I wasn't going to cover for her anymore! What if she-

"Emmett, Emmett," Carlisle reached up and placed his hands on his son's broad shoulders, "Son, you can't blame yourself for this."

"This is it," Emmett mumbled, "This is why Alice couldn't see, Kit! Oh, God, this has been set in stone for _months_ -

"Emmett. Calm. Down. You need to calm down."

"I can't breathe."

"You don't need to breathe."

Emmett shook his head again. He was freaking out, "I have to go."

He nearly ripped the doorknob off of Carlisle's office door and he walked, too fast, down the corridor, trying to find his way to the exit.

His head was spinning. This was terrible and so horrendous, he couldn't comprehend it. So much could happen in one night.

How had they gone from laughing on their date to this?

His feet took him to his car. The silver one that he used to pick Kit up from school. He got in and sat in the hospital parking lot.

He couldn't breathe. Neither could Kit. She needed a machine to do that for her.

He buried his face in his hands, his shaking fingers running restlessly through his curls. Freaking out, crying and hyperventilating wasn't going to change anything. Still, how do you call something not a big deal when it was one? He had easily done it before, but now it was lost on him.

"Okay, okay," he took a deep breath and leaned his head back against the headrest.

He needed to get it together. They would be returning to school Monday after failing to do so on Friday. It was going to be hard and he would need to hunt before then.

Still in his hand, he glanced down at the locket still in its plastic bag. He would keep it on his person at all times. So that when Kit woke up, she would see that he had it.

After all, Kit was going to wake up…wasn't she?

* * *

 **Author's Note: I tried my best to portray Emmett's emotions and I hope I did a good job and that you felt a little something while giving this chapter a read.**

 **So, regarding my other stories ' _A Little Heart Hope_ ', ' _The Meaning Behind Special_ ', and yes, ' _His Pull, Her Push_ '. I'm sorry to say that despite what I've written in their notes, I've had more time to think and I'm sad to announce that I will not be republishing those stories.**

 **Honestly (and this is a conversation I had with my Beta Reader) ignorance is bliss and a small part of me wishes I had remained oblivious to the knowledge that I am now aware of, but a bigger part of me is not regretful.**

 **It's made me realize that I've outgrown the Twilight fandom. Again, it portrays Native Americans as less than real people and the whole story is just problematic and not something I desire to write for.**

 **With that said, I _will_ be continuing Kit's story because it's so personal, the most important thing I've written on this site and I feel like I owe it to those who have reached out to me both in PM's and reviews to finish Kit's story to the end. When it comes to the Quileutes, it's not those characters story-it's about Kit and I'm at a point in my story where I can rework the characters to be more realistic and try my best to portray the tribe and characters correctly.**

 **So, that's that. I've moved fandoms and have returned to the Harry Potter side and have already published a story there. Feel free to check it out and leave a review for that story as well as this one!**

 **Thank you for your continuous support,**

 **FictionChic**


	36. Gotta Get Out Now, Gotta Run From This

**Sunday (Day Three):**

Jasper tilted his head, almost staring at Kit curiously. It was day three of her coma and still, no change.

He and his wife were alone in the hospital room, Kit's parents allowing them some time. It was very selfless and humble of them and Jasper did what he could, to ease the crippling pain that they felt. So that they could hold their heads up and stand a little straighter, hunched over by their heavy grief.

"This is why," Alice leaned heavily against his chest, safe in his arms, "…I-I don't understand."

No one did, Jasper figured. He understood, though. He did. There was a cost in burying such pain rather than expressing it freely.

And this was it.

He went forward, shuffling Alice along and reached out to gently hold Kit's hand.

"Hey, sugar," he greeted, using terms of endearments that he usually reserved for Alice, "How're you holdin' up?"

His shoulders wilted. From his place at Kit's bedside, he could feel the anxiousness pulsing off of both Blake and Everly. It didn't matter if they had offered to give Alice and Jasper some time, they were eager to get back to their daughter and the feeling increased every second they were away from her.

"Can you see her, now?" he whispered to his wife.

"No," Alice said, "Seeing her go into the coma was the only one…" she shook her head, not wanting to talk about it, "I don't know what to say."

Jasper lifted a shoulder in a brief shrug. What did you say in a situation like this? It came as such a shock, which was another emotion he could feel from everyone, no matter how slight it was.

He let go of Kit's hand and passed it over his face. Being in the hospital was tough. The blood, no matter how tainted by the scent of infections and drugs, still smelled appealing, but surprisingly, blood was not on the top of his list of concerns. Maybe close to the top, but not the tip top.

School was going to cause turmoil on his gift, tomorrow. Esme had prompted him to stay home until things settled down, but the issue was, who knew when that would be? For all they knew, Kit would never come out of her coma. There were reports of humans being in comas for decades or never waking up.

"I'm worried about Emmett," Alice finally said.

"Everyone is."

Jasper adored his wife more than anything, but sometimes, he wondered if she only said things to fill the silence. Truthfully, it was just another thing he adored about her.

Still, it was more than worry. A vampire's love was strong and unbreakable, bound for eternity. Even in death. It was strong enough to survive the competitive nature for blood. A mate for a vampire was gravity and to Jasper, Alice was his gravity.

It was still weird to him, to think that Emmett had fallen for a human. It seemed cruel. Kit, a fragile, breakable human girl—a girl that to his kind was nothing but cattle to feed on—was Emmett's gravity.

But she was.

She was, and Jasper felt it so strongly from Emmett. His brother loved Kit so much, it added a new glow to his marble skin. It stretched throughout his whole body. He fell in love with her, all the time, all over again, each time harder than the last. He fell in love every time he heard her laugh or when she scrunched her nose or rolled her eyes when he told a lame joke, but laughed anyway. When she bit her nails or ran her fingers through her hair or gasped when she got to an interesting plot point in a book she read.

Emmett needed her, even if he didn't fully know it…he needed her as much as he needed blood to sustain himself and if Kit died, he would lose his entire world.

Alice, letting out a mournful sigh, caused Jasper to look at her, just as she took Kit's hand and squeezed gently.

"Your nails look terrible," she scolded with a small smile, "When you wake up, I can fix them for you. Your cuticles, too," her voice cracked, "Please wake up."

She started to cry again, tearlesss, dry sniffles. Before arriving at the hospital, both Alice and Esme had sobbed, so hard that Jasper wondered if it was possible for them to actually produce tears.

Alice's fingers flexed and relaxed in Kit's hand. She was getting fidgety. Everyone knew that her hobbies included shopping, wardrobe replacing, and with Bella in the picture, makeovers and dress-up.

They were also her coping skills and with Kit in this state, those were coping skills she couldn't partake in, right now. Not until they returned home.

"It's all right, darlin'," he tried to soothe his wife, "It's going to be okay."

When Alice spoke, her voice was softer than usual, "I can't see! Again! Who knows when she'll wake up. It's like my visions are teasing me!" she looked up at him, eyes wide and frightened, "How am I supposed to know if she's going to be okay!? Do you know how much it's killing me, not knowing if it's really going to be okay or not?"

Jasper nodded slowly, "Yeah…yeah, I do know."

He felt Alice flinch and he could feel her guilt.

"I'm sorry."

"That's all right."

"My new little sister…my best friend," sensing Alice's breakdown, Jasper held her tighter, pressing a kiss to the side of her short hair.

He surrounded her with love. They would need to go soon.

"I'm sorry, Jazz," Alice whispered and he grimaced.

Unless they were positive emotions, Alice always tried not to feel around him. She hated causing him any type of pain, even pain that was completely out of her hands.

"Don't apologize," he told her, "We're all hurting, it's normal. I can deal with it."

"But school…"

Jasper's mouth twitched. He had no choice but to put up with it. Like Esme had suggested, he could pass off as being homeschooled, but if he did that, then Alice would do that and Alice needed to be at school with his other siblings that attended with the possibility that something might happen.

Especially now.

Emmett was hurting. It was pouring off him in waves. Those girls, who had tormented Kit at school, were now unknowingly tormenting his brother and there was no way to know what Emmett might do. He was someone that relied heavily on his instincts and didn't give them a second thought. He could spot them in the cafeteria and slaughter them in seconds.

Right now, his emotions were no where near stable. It was like flicking on a light switch over and over and over.

"Come on," Jasper muttered. He didn't want to keep Everly and Blake waiting any longer, "We need to go."

"Yeah…" Alice agreed, "I'll see you soon, Kit."

"We'll be back, tomorrow," Jasper promised both girls.

They left the ICU room and Jasper approached the couple, who looked antsy to get back to the room.

"Thank you," Jasper smiled weakly at them.

"Of course," Blake mumbled.

"How's Indigo doing?" Alice asked.

Blake opened his mouth, then shrugged. Jasper could feel the confusion coming off of him.

"She's…okay," Blake supplied, "You know kids…they tend to take these things in stride, somehow," he sighed, "I-I don't know."

"If you ever need any help with her," Alice began, "I wouldn't mind."

"She wouldn't either," Blake tried to smile and failed. He looked past them and into the room, "She's at school, right now. Um…" he trailed off a little, "We can think about it and let you know."

"Okay," Alice whispered, nodding.

With that, Jasper led her away, tucking her into his side. Despite her small size, it was like she was made to fit there and he felt a great deal of comfort when she rested one of her small hands on his chest.

They went to a room where families gathered and the only family that occupied it, was his.

Bella and Edward occupied one of the sofas, Bella resting her head on Edward's shoulder. Esme sat on a loveseat with Emmett, the latter in the same position as Bella. Despite his large size, Esme had no problem with his added weight and had one hand stroking his hair.

Rosalie had stayed home. She was being careful about getting in Emmett's way. The two hadn't spoken since she had rudely confronted Kit at school.

They were all currently engaged in a conversation with a woman named Vanessa Briar. Not only had she been very involved in the Algren's life, but she was Kit's godmother.

"…She held that note for _twelve_ seconds," Vanessa was saying, a proud smile on her face, "Every time we got our scores back, we were given extra points for 'exceptional voice' and they would leave comments. It was always Kit or Shelly. They were the best. I called them 'My Shining Stars.'"

"How lovely," Esme mused, briefly making eye contact with Jasper, "I didn't know she sang."

"Oh, she did a lot of things," Vanessa said, "She was always doing something. Don't tell her I told you—she'll hate me," she laughed, "But when Kit was four, she won a piano contest. She was 'Little Miss Piano' and it was the cutest thing."

Esme's eyes brightened, no doubt, thinking of Edward, "Really!? She plays piano?"

"Played," Vanessa corrected, "She never liked playing, but her grandma always made her. Said that Kit would regret not knowing how to play once she was older. Once Kit started playing the violin, her grandma eased up a bit on the piano lessons," Vanessa shook her head, "It's a little bit of a shame, Kit was so talented at it and her grandmother has the most gorgeous piano. A white one."

"It sounds beautiful," Esme said, "I've never had the pleasure of hearing Kit play anything."

"You'll have to ask her when she wakes up," Vanessa prompted, fully confident in her statement, "Don't hold your breath, though. She's a stubborn child."

She was so proud of Kit, Jasper could tell. It warmed his insides.

"Trust me," Edward said, "We're well aware of that fact."

Vanessa managed a laugh, sighing a bit as she stood up, "I'm sure you are, honey. Well, it was wonderful talking to you all, but I should go check on Everly and Blake."

"It was nice talking to you, too," Bella spoke for all of them with a small smile.

"Why don't I come with you?" Esme offered, standing up as well, forcing Emmett to move. She looked at her children, "Behave, you guys. I mean it."

Vanessa chuckled, leading the way, "Five teenagers, are you crazy?"

Esme laughed quietly, "Yes, well…"

Jasper stopped listening to their conversation as the two woman left the room and he went to take the seat, Vanessa had occupied, knowing very well how Edward would react if he took Esme's seat.

Edward glanced at him, feeling irritated, but otherwise, gave no verbal response.

"Stop that," Emmett murmured. He was doubled over, his head in his hands, "Please, stop."

Jasper ceased his control of Emmett's emotions and relaxed where he sat, beginning to run his hand up and down Alice's thin arm. It grounded him.

"Everly and Blake are going to give Carlisle permission to share Kit's case with us," Alice informed them all quietly, "So, we'll be given updates just as they would be given updates."

Jasper gauged Emmett for any type of reaction, but he remained in his hunched over position.

"Well, that's good," Bella supplied. Color filled her cheeks and Jasper held Alice tighter.

"She'll wake up," Alice murmured, "She has too."

No one said anything and for the rest of their time there, neither did Alice.

* * *

 **Monday (Day Four):**

"Behave yourself today, Emmett," Esme had warned gravely, that morning, "I know it's hard, but remember where we are. Keep in mind, that if something happens, we'll have to leave.'

That was mom code for: "I know you're upset, but you can't kill Lauren or any of her friends; no matter how much you think they deserve it or how upset you may get. If we leave, that means leaving Kit."

And Emmett couldn't do that.

Emmett had to repeat this in his head every five seconds or he risked losing it, and blowing everything Carlisle had built for them here.

They had arrived at school to the same pointing, whispering and staring that had greeted them on Friday. Still, no one dared approach them as always; and Emmett stayed close to his siblings, trying to keep his head up and acting as the giant bodyguard everyone thought he was.

It was a long day…

The posters that had been plastered around the school, screamed at him. They were colorful to draw attention and brightly advertised the suicide hotline, pleading people to get help and look out for loved ones.

The school counselor had her door open at all times and a special grief counselor had been brought in, as well. Teachers gave lectures and speeches at the beginning of classes.

" _Suicide is_ _ **permanent**_ ," Mr. Berty had raged at the beginning of English class, " _Suicide is a_ _ **permanent solution**_ _to a_ _ **temporary problem**_ _and you will_ _ **not**_ _come back_! _Suicide_ , is _tragic_ , _traumatic and painful_. _Your life is important_. _Get help now_ , _right now_ , _even if you have to walk right out this classroom_."

No one had said anything and no one had gotten up. Some chick in the back had sniffled, making Emmett roll his eyes.

He failed to pay attention in any of his classes, not that he needed too. All of his teachers looked upset and Mrs. Goff in particular had tried to approach him after class, but Emmett had brushed her off. He didn't need to talk, he didn't need more time for his assignments or a hug or to process his emotions or any of that crap.

The only thing he needed, was for Kit to wake up. It had all ready been four days.

Lunch couldn't come quick enough. He was eager to see his siblings except Rosalie. They were all eating together, Bella and Edward joining them at the usual Cullen table. Even Rosalie, with Bella at the table, was sitting with them, though she pretended that Bella wasn't there.

"How are you doing?" he asked Jasper. The emotions had to be weighing on him and he was concerned for his brother.

Jasper smiled weakly, "I'm okay. How are you doing?"

" _I_ , _mean_ , _like_ , _we weren't_ _ **best**_ _friends_ , _but we were close_."

This was said by some chick named Whitney. He remembered that Jasper had fantasized about killing her a few months ago, until Edward kicked his chair.

This was a girl that Emmett knew, had never spoken to Kit a day in her life. In fact, he had overheard her calling Kit annoying once. He would bet a million dollars that Whitney didn't even know that Kit had a sister, which was all Kit tended to ever talk about.

"Irritated," he finally answered. He picked at his sandwich and narrowed his eyes, "Fucking fake ass grievers."

No one scolded him for his language, but Bella flinched and Edward glared at him.

"We'll go and visit her after school," Alice promised, "Or maybe go and see Indigo. Vanessa will be there."

' _Poor kid_ ,' Emmett thought. He had been to the hospital twice and neither time, had he seen Indigo there. It was scary, even for him, seeing Kit hooked up to all those machines. He couldn't imagine how Indigo would feel seeing it.

"Maybe," he baited Alice with a long sigh.

" _She's best friends with Bella Swan_ ," Emmett overheard one of the jocks say, " _And you know her dad's the police Chief_. _I heard_ , _Kit took his gun and_ _ **shot**_ _herself_."

The plastic tray beneath Emmett's fingers, cracked.

" _She did_ _ **not**_ _shoot herself_ ," Whitney reprimanded him, " _Ask Katie_. _She lives right near Bella_. _Isn't that right_ , _Katie_? _Kit didn't take a gun or anything_."

Emmett couldn't turn around to look at Katie. If he did, he would kill her, Lauren, Jessica and Ashley. It's not like they didn't deserve it. They had it coming. He might enjoy doing it.

"Emmett!" Edward scolded him.

Emmett flicked his eyes up, "What? Are you kidding me? Weren't you the one planning to slaughter your entire class-

"Stop that!" Alice hissed, glancing at Edward who had his teeth barred, "We need to stick together and be there for Kit. We can't fight."

"Then don't be a hypocrite," he mumbled, wrinkling his nose at a piece of wilted lettuce, "I'm finished."

He was about to get up, when Alice stepped in, "I've got it."

Out of the corner of his eye, Emmett saw Alice dump his lunch, tray and all, into the large trashcan.

" _Hey_ ," he looked away, towards Angela and her boyfriend Ben, who were sitting at a table near them, " _Would you guys like to sign this get well card for Kit_?"

It was a giant piece of white poster board and glued to the middle was a big yellow heart that read 'Get well soon, Kit, we miss you!' in loopy letters. There were smaller, bright pink hearts around the big yellow one and the white poster board was full of signatures.

" _Yeah_ , _of course_!" a boy answered.

"I think she'll like that when she wakes up," Alice mumbled. When Emmett rolled his eyes, Alice huffed, "She likes homemade stuff like that and if it makes you feel better, it's coming from Angela and Ben. They're her friends, too."

That much was true. Angela and Ben were always nice to Kit. They both had helped Kit when she had fainted in gym. Everly and Blake might appreciate the gesture of the giant card. Though, with all the people who had signed it, where were they when Kit was getting shoved around in the hall?

Where had he been?

" _Hey guys_ ," Angela and Ben had stopped at their usual table, " _Do you want to sign this card for Kit_?"

" _Oh_ , _yeah_!" Tyler gasped, " _Austin_ , _get me that pen_."

" _I want to sign it_ ," Austin commented.

" _Anyone hear how she's doing_?" Eric asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

" _No_ , _I've heard Kit's parents are only letting certain people visit_ ," Tyler muttered.

"Thank the goddamn Lord," Emmett huffed, but, of course he wasn't heard by the humans.

" _Ooh_ , _gimme that highlighter_!" Mike gasped.

" _What_? _Why_?" Tyler asked, " _It's pink_."

" _Girls_ _**like**_ _pink_!" Mike defended, " _Give it here_."

" _Lauren_ ," Angela piped and Emmett tensed, " _Here_. _Do you guys want to sign the get well card_?"

" _Um_ , _no_ ," Lauren drawled, " _That's okay_."

" _Uhh_ ," Emmett could smell the blood rushing to Angela's cheeks, " _What_? _Are you sure_?" she sounded shocked.

" _Mhm_ ," Lauren hummed quickly.

" _What about you_ , _Jess_?" Angela sounded hopeful.

" _No_ , _we're fine_!" there was a forced smile in Jessica's voice that had gone up an octave.

" _Seriously_?" Ben sounded disgusted, " _Are you sure_?"

" _Mhm_!" Lauren hummed brightly, " _Maybe later or something_."

"… _Well_ , _okay_ ," Angela was clearly uncomfortable and took Ben to move on to another table, " _Hey_ , _do you guys want to sign this get well card for Kit_?"

That's all Emmett could take for one day.

"I'm going to go home," he decided, standing up. He held his hand out to Rosalie, "I need your keys."

Rosalie looked at him, like he was on crack.

"Esme will come after school and get you," Emmett promised, "Keys, please."

Rosalie looked behind her, then back at Emmett, feigning confusion.

"You want the keys?" she confirmed and Emmett nodded, "The keys to _my_ car?"

Was she being serious!?

"Rose just do it," Edward snapped at her, "Whatever damage he's unlikely to do, you'd love any chance to upgrade your car."

Rosalie scowled deeply and slammed the keys into Emmett's hand.

He closed his fist around them, careful not to warp or break the fragile metal. He wasn't going to say thank you. Not to her.

"Jazz, why don't you go with him?" Alice placed a dainty hand on Jasper's shoulder, "You need a break. Maybe go and hunt."

Emmett nodded, "It's fine with me," in all honestly, he wasn't in the mood to hunt. He needed to leave.

"Okay," Jasper agreed, standing. He bent down to kiss Alice on top of her head and took her hand.

When Alice gave Jasper's hand a reassuring squeeze, Emmett averted his gaze.

"I'll see you right after school, I promise," Alice assured her husband, "You don't need to worry about me."

Emmett wasn't in the mood to hear this lovey-dovey stuff. If Kit were here, is that what they would be doing? Holding hands? Or would she be in the bathroom, again, throwing up her lunch while he remained oblivious?

He shook his head to clear away the thought, "Okay, this is great, can we go, now?"

As soon as Alice released Jasper's hand, Emmett spun on his heal and walked out the cafeteria. He had to turn his head away when he passed Lauren's table and felt Jasper's hand on his shoulder.

Jasper let him go, walking beside him as soon as they were outside.

"I'm sorry," he apologized immediately and Emmett shrugged.

"It's fine," Emmett mumbled, "Be with your mate, be happy. Don't stop because Kit's in the hospital. She wouldn't like that."

"I guess," Jasper agreed, "Are you going to go down to the hospital? I can run home. I need to hunt, anyway."

"Thanks," Emmett said, "See you later."

"Later," and Jasper disappeared.

Emmett reached Rosalie's slick car and tore out of the parking lot and down the road. Esme would be disappointed that he had skipped again, but would cover him. Maybe he'd take a week off or get his assignments sent home. How did anyone expect him to go to school, when the girls who had put his mate in her coma, were milling about like they had no care in the world?

If they had been vampires, Emmett would have killed them. Like when he had helped tear apart James, or whenever the time came to tear apart Victoria. It was basically, the same situation. Basically.

But this was not the vampire world. They were living in the human world and going to human school. Things had to be handled the human way.

He arrived at the hospital in mere minutes. He went inside and checked-in with the lady at the entrance, taking the elevator up to the ICU floor.

"Emmett, hold on a minute."

Emmett turned around, so fast, that Blake narrowly missed colliding into him. In fact, Blake took a few steps back and Emmett wondered if he looked as wild as he felt.

Blake looked all haphazard, his glasses crooked on his face, hair messy, and he had his hands shoved in his pockets. There were heavy bags under his eyes.

"Can we talk?" Blake said in a rush, "Just for a minute?"

"Yeah," Emmett nodded quickly, "Yeah, sure."

"K, great," Blake looked around, "Um, I think there's a room over…" he stopped, beginning to walk off and Emmett followed.

Blake took him to the room where they had all gathered the other day. It was colorful and tried too hard to be happy. All at once, Emmett understood. This is where doctors delivered bad news.

Blake took a seat on a couch and Emmett sat down in an armchair. Blake was staring at him again.

"This won't take long," Blake promised, "Everly's really upset and I want to be with her and Kit, but…there's some things I need to figure out. About my Kit."

Emmett nodded slowly and tried not to react when Blake pressed his lips together, becoming choked up.

"First of all, don't think I don't know that you've been in my house alone with her, when you're not supposed to be," Blake started, narrowing her eyes, "You took her home and skipped school on Wednesday, yes?"

"Yeah, yes," Emmett corrected himself quickly, "Yes…I did."

"Okay, okay…" Blake breathed, nodding to himself, "I just need to know," he looked away and swallowed thickly, "I mean, Everly and I don't know _anything_! We're so lost," he ran a hand through his hair, "Did Kit…what happened?"

Emmett pressed his own lips together. He didn't know what to do or what to say. He knew a lot about what had happened—more than he wanted to know and while he had told Kit that he wasn't going to cover for her anymore, things were different, now.

He didn't want to betray Kit, but Blake looked so broken and desperate.

"I-I promised I wouldn't tell," Emmett started, "But maybe I should have. It's a lot."

"It's fine, it's fine," Blake was quick to wave a hand, "Just let me have it."

Emmett nodded, "Well, you know that she was being picked on at school?" he waited for Blake to nod, "The girls who were picking on her…they would text her all the time and send her emails-

"What kind of texts?" Blake demanded. He looked at the door as if he was debating running out and asking Kit, herself.

Emmett opened his mouth, then closed it again, "They're still on her phone," he supplied, not wanting to get specific, "She never deleted them, just in case."

"I need to tell you something else," Emmett said before Blake could speak, "I-I think Kit has an eating disorder."

Immediately, he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

Blake didn't react like Emmett thought he would. His mouth fell open and it was silent between the two.

"What?" Blake whispered.

"She wasn't eating," Emmett continued, "They called her fat and ugly all the time and so, Kit went on a diet. It was stupid, but she said she wouldn't go too far, but then she stopped eating and started hiding food…and she passed out in gym and…I-I caught her making herself throw up."

"Oh my gosh," Blake held his forehead in his hand, "Oh, Kit, no, no. Why?" he glanced up to look at Emmett, "Why didn't you tell me or Everly?"

Blake's voice was watered with sadness, not accusation and Emmett looked away, then back at Blake. He assumed that Blake understood what he was trying not to say, because he leaned back in his chair and covered his hand with his mouth.

It was silent for a couple minutes and Emmett rubbed his arm. He wanted to apologize, but couldn't find the words. He should've told. He had threatened to do so, so many times, but instead, he had covered for her and even went as far as to lie straight to Everly and Blake's faces when they had been nothing but kind and welcoming to him and his family.

"I'll have Vanessa bring Kit's phone," Emmett glanced up at Blake's voice, but Blake was looking somewhere else, "I have no idea where she could have put it."

Emmett still didn't know what to say. He thought about offering to get Kit's phone, but felt that was too intrusive. Maybe he should have asked about Indigo, but for some reason, that didn't seem appropriate, either.

"She didn't want to worry you," he blurted out, "That's why I didn't tell you…why she didn't tell you. She didn't want you to worry or make a fuss. She thought she could handle it on her own. She didn't want to make you upset, or Everly, or Indigo."

"That's my Kit Kat," Blake mumbled, though his hand, "Is there anything else that I need to know? These girls just…?" he shrugged, "Decided to-to _torment_ her?"

Emmett blinked, "Yes. All day, everyday, every chance they got. They'd push her and call her names, make fun of her clothes."

"Right," Blake's eyes narrowed slightly and he nodded, "Right. Thanks."

"You're welcome?" Emmett said, "Can I—can I see her?"

Blake looked very deep in thought and Emmett felt his heart drop when Blake shook his head slightly.

"Yes, of course," Blake said and Emmett sighed in relief, "Your mother is here actually," Emmett's eyes widened. That was news to him, "She's getting food in the cafeteria, but should be back soon. She's helping Vanessa with…But, um, yes, go see Kit. Willa should be coming by later and I…I need to…"

When he trailed off, Emmett could only nod.

"Don't mention any of this to Everly," Blake grunted as he stood up, "This never happened. Yet. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Emmett stood up as well, "I won't say a word. How is Indigo doing?"

"Um," Blake's eyebrows knitted together, "She's okay. I don't really know how much she understands of this, but…she's going to soccer and still doing well in school. She misses Kit and Everly, but that's to be expected," he paused, looking at Emmett closely, "How are you doing?"

"I—I'm okay," Emmett answered.

Blake looked at him a little longer, then sighed, running his hand through his hair, "Well, let's go see Kit, hm? She's not going to be happy that you skipped school. Even if it's to see her."

Emmett managed to chuckle and followed after Blake, having to force himself to keep a slower, human pace, more than anxious to be at Kit's bedside.

As per usual, he sanitized his hands before entering the ICU room.

He'd probably have to step out once Willa arrived to give her some time, and that would be hard. It was always hard. He didn't want to leave Kit's side.

"Oh, hi, honey!"

Immediately, upon seeing him, Everly got up to hug Emmett and Emmett didn't pull away, hugging her back, but only for a second.

Everly looked worse and worse every time he saw her. Her hair was wild, even in its ponytail. Her eyes were red from constant crying, there were dark bags from lack of sleep and her clothes were rumpled. Had she been home, at all?

"How is she doing?" Emmett asked. The question had been on his tongue since Blake pulled him aside.

Everly shook her head and sniffled, "Well…she's no worse," she croaked out.

Emmett walked closer to Kit's bedside and leaned over to kiss her forehead. He lifted his head and reached for her hand.

"Don't be mad at me for skipping," he warned her, "I wanted to see you, I missed you. Besides, lunch was gross, anyway…" he smiled a little, running the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand.

Since his three day vampire transformation, he had always said those were the longest and most painful his life.

And it had been four days since Kit had gone into her coma. Were they the longest days of his life? Definitely. Most painful?

It was cutting it pretty close.

* * *

 **Hello all,**

 **I know, I know...it's been a couple of months since I've updated, but real life is real and it's a struggle, sometimes. I hope you all can understand, but I'm back and working on this story as well as my Harry Potter story (I won't complain if you go check it out).**

 **Anyway, this chapter may seem a little repetitive, but I wanted to put in some more emotions and grieving from Emmett's POV. I'm going to put in some other POV and that's going to be interesting, so stay tuned for that!**

 **Don't forget to review and I'll see you soon.**

 **\- FictionChic**


	37. I'm Still Alive But I'm Barely Breathing

**Thursday (Day Seven):**

Kit wasn't doing well.

No matter how many times Carlisle held the X-rays up to the light, it was there in her X-rays, staring him right in the face. It was there in her high fever and increased need for oxygen over the last three days.

Pneumonia. Hospital acquired, most likely caused from her severe aspiration and made worse by the ventilator she so desperately needed.

He opened his mouth and closed it, trying to force himself to relax.

This was not good.

Clutching the X-rays in his hand, he left his office and headed towards Kit's hospital room where Everly and Blake would be waiting, still hunched over with their heads pressed together and hands intertwined.

The thing about hospital rooms, was that they always had a quietness to them even when people were talking. They never got quite dark, either, always lit from the eerie glow from the machines or light spilling in from the hallways.

He sanitized his hands, placing the X-rays in the crook of his arm. The noise of the thick scans moving, caught the attention of Blake first, and the man turned his head, eyes widening when he spotted Carlisle.

"Everly, Dr. Cullen is here," Blake rasped as he nudged his wife, getting her attention.

Carlisle could only force the smallest of smiles as he walked into the room. Usually, he would ask how they were doing, or ask if there was anything he could do for them; but he decided that it would be best to just tell them. It would be painful and it would be worse to draw it out.

"Hello," he greeted, "I have some news about Kit's condition-

"Bad news!?" Everly interrupted, tears welling up in her eyes, "It's bad isn't it!?" before Carlisle could say anything, she burst into tears, covering her face with her hands, "I s-saw t-t-the nurses. They keep turning it up! It's been a whole week, now!"

Carlisle glanced at the ventilator, knowing that was the 'it' that Everly was referring to.

"It's okay," Blake spoke to both Everly and Carlisle, "What's happened?" he nodded to the X-rays in Carlisle's hand.

Carlisle nodded and took a deep breath, bringing in a number of scents: the saltiness of Everly and Blake's tears; the nitrous oxide coming through the ventilator; the scent of urine from Kit's catheter.

"Kit's come down with a case of aspiration pneumonia," he began, "It's an infection of her lungs. Brought on, most likely, due to her aspirating on her vomit. Once inside the lungs, bacteria then take advantage of any deficiencies in the immune system, which there were due to malnutrition."

He stopped talking, giving Everly and Blake the chance to absorb what he had just relayed to them.

Everly cried harder, pushing her face into the crook of Blake's neck and Carlisle noticed Blake's hands beginning to shake.

"S-s-so what happens now?" Blake coughed a little and cleared his throat.

Carlisle had opened his mouth when Blake interjected, "I mean, she's going to be fine, r-right?"

"It's going to be a struggle to get the infection out of Kit's lungs," Carlisle answered honestly, "As necessary as it is, the ventilator is making it easier for germs to further infect and injure her lungs; but in a moment, the nurses are going to come in and we're going to be giving her a broad-spectrum of antibiotics to try and fight the bacteria."

No one said anything, so he continued, "The good news, is that hospital acquired pneumonia is quite common, especially in the ICU. Which means, it's something we look for and are quick to treat."

"You know what they say about hospitals," Blake croaked, "The longer you stay, the sicker you get."

"A-a-a-are yo-you s-sure she's n-not in…p-p-pain?" Everly gasped, lifting her head to look at Kit.

"Yes," Carlisle walked closer to the couple, "No pain."

"Y-you promise?" Everly squeaked, wiping the back of her hand over her tearful cheeks.

"Yes," reaching out, Carlisle laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, "I promise."

Everly nodded frantically, her breath still coming out in gasping sobs, her eyes locked on Kit's still form.

"O-okay," she gasped.

Just then, Lina and Julia came in, their gloved hands overflowing with the things they would need.

"Julia's going to administer the medication while Lina supervises the procedure," Carlisle informed them, gesturing towards each nurse.

"Can I get the full name and date of birth?" Lina asked, tapping her pen against a clipboard, "Just for procedure."

"Kit Algren," Blake mumbled in a monotone, "Born July 12th, 1989."

"Perfect," Lina drawled, scrawling the information down.

Seeing that everything was being taken care of, Carlisle excused himself.

"I'll come back later," he promised Everly and Blake. He did, after all, have other patients, "I'll be here on my shift. Please have the nurses page me if you need anything, okay?"

"Sure, sure," Blake nodded as Carlisle edged towards the door, "T-thank you."

Carlisle took one last look at Kit, the scent of her blood hitting him from the IV. She didn't even flinch, oblivious to the world around her.

He was heading towards his office to gather another chart, when a voice stopped him.

"You okay, Carlisle?"

He turned and came face to face with Dr. Snow. He was an older man, the color of his hair fitting his name perfectly.

"Yes," Carlisle answered, turning fully to face his co-worker, "Breaking bad news to family is always hard," not wanting to sound too attached, he added lightly, "And I could use a cup of coffee."

Dr. Snow's thin lips twitched slightly, satisfied by this answer.

"Why don't you go and get it?" he offered, "What do you have next?"

What, not who.

"Follow-up from an appendectomy," Carlisle told him, glancing at his watch, "Forty-five minutes from now and then I need to chart."

Dr. Snow nodded, "You have some time, then?"

Carlisle tried not to frown. Small town or not, "having time" was something that sounded odd coming from a doctor in a place where ill and dying people lie, dependent on them for care.

Still, he supposed perks of being in a small town, was that (almost) everyone knew everyone; and Carlisle had yet to see any kind of mistreatment towards the patients from any of the medical professionals that he had witnessed at other hospitals he had worked at throughout the years.

"I suppose," he finally answered, "Why?"

Dr. Snow's face flushed slightly, "Your wife's arrived. Perhaps to see your patient," he glanced disapprovingly towards Kit's room, "Either way, she's waiting for you in your office."

"Ah," Carlisle breathed, "Thank you, Dr. Snow. That's where I was heading."

He went on his way, thinking of his family. He'd have to break the news again, a second time, when he saw his children. Everly and Blake had graciously given him permission to have his family kept in the loop in terms of Kit's treatment.

Through all the scents that made up a hospital, Carlisle could distinctly pick out Esme's. It automatically caused his shoulders to relax at the thought of seeing her. His mate was near.

As soon as he entered his office and shut the door behind him, Esme stood to face him, a paper bag clutched in her hands.

"You forgot your lunch," she teased, holding up the paper sack. She dropped it on his desk. It was routine for her to make this trip now and again. He was the forgetful human husband and she, the stay-at-home mom, tsking whenever she found his sack lunch forgotten in the fridge.

He smiled, "Thank you, dearest."

He went to embrace her and held her tightly, hiding his face in her caramel colored hair. He closed his eyes and simply held her, bringing his hand up to cup the back of her head.

They stood like that, in a long silence, neither breathing nor moving. They looked like marble statues in a museum, carved out of the finest material.

It was Esme who moved first, lifting her head, forcing him to lift his and he smiled as he leaned it against hers, their foreheads touching.

He moved again and kissed her, then, the world falling away. It was slow and soft, still passionate, yet at the moment, comforting in the way that words would never be.

He moved his hand to cup her cheek and pulled her close until there was no space left between them, their chests pressed together. He growled against her mouth when she ran her hands through his hair and kept them there, tugging slightly to lift his head.

"I miss you," he whispered against her mouth.

"I miss you too," Esme breathed, running her hand up and down his chest.

"How are the children?" he thought mostly of Emmett.

"The children are all right. Emmett's having a hard time, but isn't that to be expected? He's been hunting a lot. Him and Rose still aren't speaking. Alice is beside herself with worry…Jasper's been having a hard time at school. The first week is always hardest…" she trailed off, "It feels like it's been forever," she whispered.

"I know, dearest," Carlisle stroked her hair, staring into Esme's eyes.

She appeared troubled, as if she wanted to say something—he knew her so well—but she didn't, instead placing her hands back on his chest and frowning up at him. He must have looked worse than he thought.

"Darling, what happened?"

"Kit has pneumonia," Carlisle told her, "Aspiration pneumonia, both lungs," he pressed his lips together, "We're pushing antibiotics to fight the bacteria and hopefully, we'll see a change in the next couple of days."

Esme blinked rapidly, her face warping and then she burrowed her face in his chest, gasping.

"I know," Carlisle kissed her hair. Esme, like him, was very sensitive to Kit's situation.

"I don't want to lose another child," came Esme's muffled whisper.

* * *

Vanessa hummed to herself as she dug a spoon into the peanut butter jar, slapping a big dollop on a white plate before she turned back to the cutting board where she had sliced some banana and cut up an apple.

"Apple, apple, banana, banana, apple, banana," she mumbled to herself, laying the fruit on the plate for Indigo's after school snack.

For herself, she had made a cup of coffee and laid out a couple sheets of graham crackers, just for something to nibble on while Indigo ate.

"Indigo, honey!" she called, raising her chin towards the ceiling, "Snack is ready!"

She grabbed a few paper towels and went to set the plate on the table, having all ready poured Indigo a tall glass of milk.

"Indigo!" she called again at the lack of footsteps she heard on the stairs, "Come eat!"

If Indigo took too long, then her apple would start to turn brown and having raised two kids of her own, along with spending time with her nieces and nephews and the children in the church, she knew how picky children could be when it came to food looking weird or smelling funny.

Huffing, Vanessa ran a hand through her hair and left the kitchen.

"Indigo?" she called again, placing her hand on the banister.

She waited a few more seconds, counted to five in her head, then went up the stairs, sighing a little. She knew how sad Indigo was and how quiet snack was going to be. When dropping Indigo off at school, that morning, her teacher had gave her condolences and mentioned concern over Indigo's unusually quiet demeanor over the last week.

She knocked on the door, pressing her ear to the wood, "Indigo? It's time for snack. Are you hungry?"

She opened the door and poked her head in, going further into worry, when she didn't spot Indigo on her bed.

"Indigo?" she went to the bathroom where she door was ajar, but she wasn't in there either.

A frown etched onto her youthful face, she eyed the other door in the bathroom that went into Kit's room.

Her lips turned down in a disapproving frown, making a move to open the door. She hoped Indigo wasn't hiding in Kit's room. To her knowledge, the bedroom hadn't been cleaned up, yet or searched.

"Don't go in there!"

"Ah!" Vanessa startled, her head snapping around in shock at the loud exclamation.

Indigo was standing in the bathroom doorway, one hand griping the door hinge and her eyes narrowed.

"You scared me," Vanessa told her, "Don't you know better than to sneak up on people like that?"

"You can't go in there!" Indigo said firmly, ignoring the scolding, "It stinks in there."

' _That's right_ , _she vomited all over_ ,' Vanessa thought, though she had to guess that the smell wasn't the only reason Indigo didn't want anyone going into Kit's room.

She thought it would be best not to tell Indigo that she'd have to go in there anyway. The last time she had talked to Blake, he had requested that she go in Kit's room in search of her cellphone.

"Okay," Vanessa took her hand off the doorknob, "I called you a million times. Didn't you hear all that hollering?"

Indigo shrugged, "I guess…"

Vanessa looked the child up and down, "Snack's ready. Come eat."

Indigo huffed and crossed her arms, basically stomping out as she led the way out of the bathroom and down the stairs.

Vanessa had half a mind to nag Indigo for her attitude or pop her on her butt, but she knew Indigo was upset about Kit being in the hospital and she hadn't been taken to visit. She hadn't seen Everly in a week and only saw Blake at night when he came home to make dinner and put her to bed.

When Vanessa made it to the kitchen, Indigo was sitting at the table, but she was leaning back in her chair, far from the table, with her arms folded across her chest. She hadn't touched her food or her milk.

Vanessa went to stand behind her own place at the table and picked up her coffee to put it in the microwave.

Indigo's apple, she noticed, had started to turn brown.

Any other time, with her own children, she would have told them to suck it up and eat what they were given. Indigo was like her daughter, considering she was Kit's godmother, but she feared she would make Indigo cry and that wouldn't go over well with Blake.

No, Indigo wasn't used to Vanessa's parenting style and she needed to be extra gentle. She needed to keep up a "normal routine" and in that normal routine, Indigo probably would have been offered a new apple.

"I can cut you another apple if you'd like?" Vanessa offered, "Your banana looks okay."

"I guess," Indigo mumbled. She picked up a slice of banana, turned it over in her fingers, then put it back on the plate, wiping her hand on her napkin.

Vanessa blinked at her, waiting, "…Sooo…yes to another apple or no?"

Indigo's nose scrunched up, "No thank you."

"All right, then," Vanessa went to the microwave and placed her mug inside, "I went through your lunch bag when you got home. You didn't eat all your food. Aren't you hungry?"

"Not really."

Vanessa pursed her lips together, glancing back and forth between Indigo and the timer on the microwave.

She wasn't aware of Indigo ever having trouble with her blood sugar. The child didn't look any thinner and Blake hadn't relayed that Indigo was super picky about anything. She had no allergies.

Vanessa needed to make it clear that not eating, whether she was sad or because she was throwing a fit, was never an option. She had gone over this with Shelly when she had started gymnastics, and again when she joined the cheer squad.

Vanessa took her coffee out of the microwave and leaned against the stove, taking a long, slow slip. She swallowed audibly.

"Well," she started, licking her lips, "You're not leaving that table until you eat your snack. That can be in five minutes or five hours. That's up to you, baby girl."

"Don't call me that," Indigo mumbled in a quivering voice.

Vanessa shrugged and took another drink from her mug, using her free hand to pull her cellphone from her jeans.

"I'll be right back," she told Indigo, leaving the kitchen in favor of going to sit on the stairs.

She sipped from her mug and pressed a button on the speed dial, holding the phone to her ear.

The phone rang once, twice, three times and right when she was about to hang up, the line clicked.

" _H-hello_?"

Hearing Blake's raggedy voice, Vanessa felt her heart drop and she straightened up, her body tensed.

"Oh goodness, what happened?" she whispered, placing a hand over her pounding heart.

On the other end, Blake sighed heavily, " _Aspiration pneumonia in both lungs_. _The doctor put her on a bunch of antibiotics_ , _but_ … _I don't know_. _We'll have to wait and see_."

So, things weren't good right now, and that made Vanessa feel bad about what she was going to say next.

"You and Everly need to come home for a couple of days," she told Blake, setting her cup on the step.

" _What_!?" Blake's voice went up an octave in panic, " _We can't_. _What happened_!?"

Vanessa blinked, "Indigo misses you, that's what happened."

" _Vanessa_ ," Blake sighed, " _Don't scare me like that_. _Just tell Indi I'll see her tonight_."

"No, that's not good enough," Vanessa interjected, "You both need to come home and you both need to _stay_ here. Not just at night."

" _What are you_ — _did you not just hear me say that Kit_ _has_ _pneumonia_!?" Blake cried, " _They had to put another IV in_! _The oxygen concentrator's been turned up three days in a row_!"

"And that's awful," Vanessa agreed. She loved Kit just as much as they did, "And I'm sorry, but you have another kid. Indigo needs you, especially Everly. Look, I came here to watch Indigo—pick her up from soccer and take her to school. I didn't come to be her substitute mother. She hasn't seen Everly in days!"

If she were to be honest, Vanessa really didn't mind staying over. It was nice having a child again. Still, she was taking time off from work and time away from her family back in Hampton to be here.

" _Indigo is old enough to understand that Kit is more important_ , _right now_ ," Blake said calmly, " _She's a smart kid_. _Kit's sick and every night_ , _Indigo asks about Kit and begs me to go back_ -

"That doesn't mean she's not lonely!" Vanessa turned towards the kitchen and lowered her voice, "Her teacher is worried and she's not eating. Her favorite person in the galaxy is in a coma, she hasn't seen her mother, and you're only here at night-

" _I'm doing my best_! _I still have to work_!"

"I know," Vanessa took a deep breath to try and calm down, "Kit needs you, but so does Indigo. Just for a night or two, then. Or maybe it's time to take Indigo to see Kit. It might help."

It was silent after that and she took this moment to sip her coffee, making a face as she swallowed. It was lukewarm.

"… _You're right_ ," Blake mumbled from the other end, " _I'll talk to Everly_. _You know_ , _Dr. Cullen's kids offered to pay Indi a visit_. _Maybe that wouldn't be so bad_. _She adores Emmett and Alice_. _Bella_ , _too_."

"Okay," Vanessa had no other response to that. She really didn't care what "Dr. Cullen's kids" did. Whether they came over or not, wasn't the point. Indigo needed her parents. All eight-year-old little girls did. Especially when they were upset. She needed to be comforted by her mother.

"Come home," she said curtly.

And then she hung up, dialing a different number.

* * *

 **Hampton, New Hampshire** :

"Hey, sweetie."

Shelly looked up at Deetra looming over her. She was a pear-shaped woman with dark skin, her cheeks covered in darker acne scars. She had her black hair in box braids and her brown eyes were narrowed in concern, a crease between them.

"Hey," Shelly mumbled. She was in the back room, lying on one of the couches and staring up at the ceiling.

"You doin' okay?" Deetra asked, kneeling beside her.

' _Thank goodness_ , _I had no intention of moving_ ,' Shelly thought, turning her head to look at her friend.

"Yeah," she answered, "My mom hasn't called in awhile, though. Do you think something bad happened?"

"Like what?" Deetra asked.

Shelly shrugged, "Small town…full of white people. That doesn't sound like it could end well."

Deetra chuckled, "True, but I'm sure she's fine. Some of those white people are the ones who made you Kit's godsister. They'll keep an eye on your mama."

"I just, like-" Shelly cut herself off, "Like, Kit's not _stupid_! She aced health class. She knew better than to do stupid sh—stuff like that! And she didn't even tell me she had a _boyfriend_! _I_ don't even have a boyfriend, how did _she_ get a boyfriend!? Not that she's not attractive or anything…but she always said she wouldn't have time and she hasn't been sixteen long."

"I'm confused. You're upset that she has a boyfriend?"

"I don't know…" Shelly shook her head, "I mean, she can get a random boyfriend, but she can't call me for two years!?"

Deetra tsked, "Shelly…obviously she was having a really hard time. She took Katherine's death _so_ hard an-

"Did you think she was going to kill herself?" Shelly interrupted, "Because when Katherine died, I thought she'd kill herself. Mom said that Everly said that Kit didn't get out of bed for days. She wouldn't even shower."

Deetra didn't say anything, so Shelly continued, "Do you think she's learned to live without me?"

"Kit?" Deetra sounded surprised and Shelly nodded, "No, not at all. I'm sure she thinks of you all the time. You two are a package deal."

"She was only gone for three months," Shelly exclaimed, "What the hel—heck happens in three months that warrants someone to try and kill themselves? Again, she's not stupid. She knows better than to go messin' around with pills and all that crap," she placed a hand to her forehead, "I don't think she tried to kill herself. That doesn't make any sense…"

Again Deetra didn't say anything and Shelly closed her eyes. While her mother was gone, Deetra was in charge of running choir practice and it was supposed to start soon.

The feel of her cellphone vibrating in her pocket, caused her to gasp and shoot up from her spot, scrambling to dig it out of her pocket.

"My phone, my phone!" she gasped to Deetra, "Go get everyone, I bet it's my mom."

Deetra jumped to her feet, stumbling and Shelly hurried to answer, pressing the phone anxiously to her ear.

"Hello? Hi, mom, is that you?" she hurried in one breath.

" _Hey_ , _Shelly_ , _yeah_ ," her mom said, " _Where are you_?"

"Church," Shelly responded, "But it hasn't started yet," she picked at a thread on her jeans. She hadn't changed, either.

She looked up when muttering came through the door, along with fifteen people of different adult ages. Shelly was back to being the youngest and she wasn't too happy about it.

They all wore their church robes. They were a shiny off-white color. Sleek and non-see-through. There were strong center pleats on the front of the choir robe, the cuffs of the long and open sleeves red to match the traditional choir stole with arrow pointed edges around their necks.

When she saw Anthony, a white boy with brown hair who looked teary, she quickly patted the spot on the couch her feet occupied and moved them when he got close enough.

"Wait, hold on, mama," if her mother had been talking, she hadn't been listening, "Everyone's here and I'm going to put you on speaker."

" _Okay_."

Shelly took the phone from her ear and because her hand was shaking, it took her a couple of tries to hit the speaker button.

"Mom?" she asked in a loud voice.

" _I'm here_ ," her mother's voice blared through the phone and Shelly turned up the volume.

"How's Kit?" Anthony blurted before Shelly could say anything else.

They were all tense and Shelly grabbed Anthony's hand. Like her, he wasn't dressed in church robes. He wasn't even a member of the church anymore, but had come at Shelly's request when she had told him about Kit's condition.

" _Um_ ," Vanessa paused, "… _Not well_. _I'm sorry_ , _baby girl_ , _she's worse_."

A few people gasped, another few tsked and Shelly wilted, grimacing when Anthony squeezed her hand tighter.

She tried to speak, but felt her voice clog up. Her eyes burned with unshed tears.

"I—what happened?"her voice cracked and she sniffed, wiping her eyes. Though she wasn't crying, at the moment, multiple people tried to comfort her, rubbing her back or patting her legs.

" _Before she was brought to the hospital_ , _she aspirated on her vomit_. _That_ , _along with the ventilator_ , _caused aspiration pneumonia_. _The doctor says it's in both of her lungs_ , _but they're giving her antibiotics and it's something he says they look for_."

Shelly sniffed again. She didn't know what to say to that. Was Kit gonna die?

"Here, lemme…" someone took the phone from her, "Vanessa, it's Deetra. Tell Everly and Blake we love them. We think of them everyday and we're always praying for them. Father Shay, too."

" _I'll let them know_ ," Vanessa said, " _Where's Shelly_?"

Shelly shook her head and wiped her eyes again when Deetra tried to hand back her cellphone.

"She's upset, right now," Deetra told her mother, "And Dom's not here…"

Feeling her face crumple, Shelly got up from the couch and left the room. Her mom would call back later to say goodnight, or to check in and Shelly didn't want to hear anything else about Kit's worsening condition.

She took a seat on one of the pews, pissed the hell off. She had begged her mom to go to Forks with her and now Kit was getting sicker and she wasn't there. It wasn't fair! She would bet that she cared more about Kit than her mom did. Even if they didn't go to the same school, Shelly and Kit had spent almost everyday together and usually had sleepovers on the weekends, if they didn't have things to do. She had been the only person to attend the one time Kit tried to have a birthday party.

"Dee's done with your phone," Anthony came over to her, trying too hard to sound casual, "Your mom said she'd call back later. Dominic's gonna get it."

Shelly took her phone back and swallowed thickly, "I'm just, like, s-s-so," she hiccuped, "I-irritated. I-I don't even wanna freakin' talk about it!"

"Okay," Anthony took a seat beside her, "That's fine."

Still, Shelly leaned her head on his shoulder, her breathing coming out, quick and gasping.

 _Flashback:_

 _Hampton, New Hampshire, 2003:_

 _"…And then I figured Alexa would want to try out for captain, but honestly, I think Lucy is a lot better. I think Alexa lost weight, but not enough to be a flyer. Still, she's the only one who can do a back handspring into a backflip without almost breaking her ankle and—Kit? Kit are you listening to me!?"_

 _"What?" Kit, her godsister, whipped her head around, her long and wavy forehead bangs moving with the motion, "Oh," she glanced down at her sketchpad, "No, no, I'm not."_

 _"Kit!" Shelly whined, hitting the throw pillow on the couch, "I'm not being dramatic, this time! I'm actually really nervous."_

 _"Okay, okay," Kit made a big show of placing down her colored pencil, turning to face Shelly._

 _Shelly glared at Kit as her sister moved her waist-length hair over her shoulders before taking a deep breath and folding her hands in her lap, over her sketchpad._

 _"Okay," Kit said seriously, "I'm listening."_

 _"Forget it, you ruin everything!" Shelly huffed, turning away childishly, "I'm not repeating all that."_

 _"Well, I **was** working on something," Kit replied, going back to her sketch, "Besides, practice is supposed to start soon. You wouldn't have had time to finish your story, anyway."_

 _"Ugh, whatever," Shelly shook her head, "If mom and Katherine fight again, I'm drowning myself in holy water."_

 _"Well, I told my grammy not to fight with her," Kit said, scribbling more vigorously, "And then she said: 'I'm just trying to protect you!' which, of course I appreciate-_

 _"But it's church!" Shelly interjected._

 _"Yes!" Kit exclaimed, "I don't need protection from my godmother."_

 _"They just can't stand each other and like to punish us to get back at one another."_

 _It was so irritating. Katherine and her mother, Vanessa were always bickering. It was **so** embarrassing. The entire choir stood there staring while Shelly was hoping she'd die. They fought, wasted time, and then everyone in the choir, blamed her and Kit._

 _"Hopefully, today will be better," Kit said optimistically, "If not, well, then at least we get to be with the kids later. I love them so much!" she gushed._

 _Shelly made a sound of distaste. Kit absolutely adored children and Shelly didn't understand why. She thought they were loud, attention-seeking and irritating. She could never picture herself with kids in the future, but if she ever did have kids, she'd probably adopt or foster._

 _Kit would probably have a hundred kids and more._

 _"Will you help me study for my math test, this weekend?" Kit asked, turning towards her, "If you do, I'll help you with history."_

 _"Okay," Shelly agreed, "But I really need help with my art assignment."_

 _Kit grinned, "That, I'd be more than happy to do. Piece of cake."_

 _"Oh, I would kill for cake, right now," Shelly commented, making Kit giggle, "But thank-_

 _End Flahsback:_

"Shelly!"

"What!?" Shelly jumped out of her thoughts, wincing when she hit her back against the pew, "Ow."

"You're not even changed! Go get your robes on!"

"Okay, okay," Shelly stood up. There was an area in the church designed to accommodate them. It was located in the chancel, between the nave and the altar. Everyone was standing there, except for Anthony who was standing beside the pew.

"Come with me," she grabbed his wrist, dragging him behind her.

"Ugh, I don't want to watch you change!" Anthony pretended to gag.

"I won't tell Will, if you won't," Shelly promised.

"He asked about you the other day," Anthony said, "I told him we'd all get coffee or something."

"Thanks, but not now," Shelly politely declined.

"Come on, Shelly, don't torture yourself," Anthony scolded, "Kit's going to be fine. Isn't she always?"

More tears welled up in Shelly's eyes and she kept her back facing Anthony as she took her robe from it's hook.

"Obviously not," she mumbled, unzipping her jacket.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So, it's been a week since Kit has been in her coma. It's supposed to be towards the end of April.**

 **Anyway, I know, it's been awhile since I've updated, but not only was I struggling with Writer's Block, my computer broke in early December and I just got it back two days ago.**

 **The time helped with my block, so expect consistent updates!**

 **Thanks for your patience, along with my Beta Reader, Sabrina06.**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **-FictionChic**


	38. Find A Space And Lose It, You Can Do It

**Friday (Day Eight):**

Charlie Swan took a large bite of his slightly burnt toast, wiping crumbs from his mustache before he reached for his glass of orange juice.

There was a deep furrow between his brow and he glanced up at the ceiling for what seemed like the millionth time in the last five minutes.

' _What's taking her so long_?'

Finally, he heard footsteps on the stairs and he straightened his posture, pushing his plate away and wiping his face off.

"Mornin', Bells," he greeted his daughter when she came into the kitchen, " _Edmund_ giving you a ride today?"

Bella huffed at him and he watched her go to the fridge.

" _Edward_ , Ch—dad," she corrected and he rolled his eyes. Like it mattered, "And, yeah. He gives me a ride to school everyday. He's probably outside, waiting."

"Well," Charlie cleared his throat, "He can wait a little longer," he nodded towards the chair across from him, though Bella's back was still turned, "Sit down."

Bella turned to face him, a bottle of water in her hand and a frown on her face, "What?"

"Sit down," he pointed to the chair, "I-I want to talk to you."

Bella made a face and she glanced longingly towards the kitchen doorway, "Talk? Do we have to?"

"Isabella Swan!"

"Okay, okay," with a heavy sigh, she went to join him at the table, dropping her bag from her shoulder to the floor.

Charlie stared at her for a moment. She wore her hair down, like usual. Jeans, a long-sleeved shirt with a jacket thrown over it. Good, okay. She didn't look any paler. She just looked eager to go out and see her…boyfriend.

"Everything okay, dad?"

Charlie blinked at the question, realizing that Bella was staring at him, too.

He nodded quickly, "Sure, yeah. You goin' up to the hospital after school?"

Kit Algren. Bella's little friend who he had yet to make the acquaintance of. She was dating the big one of the Cullen kids—the one he hadn't approved of Bella seeing. How Blake and Everly Algren approved of it was odd to him, but Kit Algren wasn't his daughter.

Kit was a sweet girl. She dressed a little weird and her little sister—Violet or something like that—attended the elementary school.

Everly and Blake were young and worked as artists. Not very practical for a small town, but somehow, they made it work. The Algrens were a small family that had moved to Forks almost four months ago. They mostly kept to themselves, but socialized when the opportunity presented itself. They were well-liked. Good people. Always smiling and happy.

Which is why it was a shock to everyone when news traveled that Kit had downed their medicine cabinet in an attempt to end her life. There was a short and brief rumor that it could have been a drug problem, but as a long-time police officer, Charlie had never heard of anyone downing a whole bottle of Advil to get high; and Kit didn't seem the type to get into drugs. According to Bella, Kit had quite the future ahead of her.

So, what could have made Kit throw that all away? What on Earth could have happened in their town that would make a sixteen-year-old child try and kill herself?

"Yeah, I am," Bella's face was solemn and she looked tired.

Charlie nodded, "How's she doing?" he hadn't been to the hospital.

"Um," Bella chewed on her bottom lip, then shrugged, "Not well. She caught pneumonia."

He winced, "That's not good."

"I know that, dad!"

"Sorry."

It was silent and he reached for his orange juice glass, thought better of it, then returned to resting his hands on the tabletop.

"So…what did you want to talk about?" Bella asked impatiently.

He felt his face color and he cleared his throat, "Well…I know you have your friends and your boyfriend and all that, but—I mean, you know I'm here if you…ever want to talk?" it came out as a question.

"Oka-

"Do we need to talk?" he interrupted, making his voice firm, "About anything?"

Bella was biting her lip again and she frowned at him, her own cheeks pink, "Is something wrong?"

"I just need to know if I need to worry about you," Charlie exclaimed, "Are you—are you depressed?"

Bella's eyes widened and she looked hurt, then angry, "So, that's what this is about? You think I'm going to kill myself!?"

Charlie opened his mouth and closed again, "I-I have to ask, Bella. What happened to Kit is scary! No parent was to find their baby like that!"

His voice cracked and he had to turn his head away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bella shift uncomfortably in her chair and heard her sigh. Neither of them were good with all of this touchy-feely, heart-to-heart stuff, but it was a conversation that they needed to have.

Bella spoke, and in an irritated voice, she mumbled, "You don't need to worry. I'm not going to kill myself. Promise."

Charlie nodded frantically and snorted, scrubbing at his face. He turned his head back around and took a big gulp of orange juice.

"Good."

"…Can I go to school now?" Bella asked desperately, "And don't you have to go to work?"

"Yeah, yeah," Charlie waved her off, but then another thought struck him, "Hold on a minute!"

Bella had made it out of the kitchen and he heard her groan before she slumped back into the room, leaning against the doorway.

"Is there something I need to know about her?" he inquired, "Kit?"

Bella frowned, blinking furiously, "What do you mean?"

"I'm a police officer, Bells," he reminded, turning in his chair to fully face his daughter, "I know you think your old man is—well, old, but I don't know any sixteen-year-old little girl who would just take a handful of drugs for no reason. Her family's only been here a few months. I thought things were going well?"

Bella shrugged, "They were."

"And…?" he pushed.

"Gosh, dad, I don't know!" Bella cried and Charlie felt his nostrils flare, "Ugh, it's not my business."

"Hey, watch your tone, young lady," Charlie warned, "It's my job to question these things. In fact, I need to talk to her parents, anyway. There might be something suspicious involved."

"Dad, leave them alone," Bella begged. Her cheeks colored further, "Maybe they don't want the police involved and prodding into their lives."

"Well, that's their right," Charlie finished off the last of his juice, "But I still have to ask. In any case, we have to rule out foul play."

Bella shook her head, "I'm going to school."

This time, Charlie let her go without stepping in and he winced when the front door was shut with a little more force than necessary.

The set of his shoulders slumped and he sighed very heavily, leaning back in his kitchen chair.

After a moment, he stood up to bring his dishes to the sink. He had to get to work and schedule a time to go to the hospital and speak to Blake and Everly.

It was sad that he had to meet the parents of his daughter's friend under these circumstances, but there was probable cause that something serious had happened.

And he was going to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

"Nice job today, Willa!"

Willa smiled warmly at Jessi, who was taking a drink from her water bottle.

She placed her dance bag on the bench in the changing room. It smelled warm, like sweat. Which was another word for hard work. It had been a tough class and she had fallen out of her turns twice.

She hadn't done great, but she would accept the compliment, "Thanks, you too. You did great!

"Ugh," Jessi rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I _sucked_! If I ended up dancing like that in auditions, I'm never going to get into intensives."

Her voice had turned whiny and Willa bit her lip. If anyone had a right to be stressed over auditions and intensives, it was Jessi. Dance had the potential to get Jessi a full ride to college and that would finally get her off the Reservation.

It's not something that her friend often liked to talk about.

"I bet you danced great!" Willa insisted, beginning to unlace her pointe shoes, "Acceptance letters come out the first week of June. It's almost May. You'll find out soon enough."

"True," Jessi agreed, her tone wry. When she gasped, Willa looked up to see Jessi taking off her toe cover.

Her feet looked awful and Willa knew that hers were no better. They were probably swollen, bleeding and purple in some places.

Jessi caught her looking and said, "I'm hoping I can soak them when I get home."

"Me too," Willa agreed, "Or massage them."

Jessi was currently massaging hers, "You think you would get used to it, dancing for so many years. Ow, they hurt so bad, I could die-

She sucked in a sharp breath to cut herself off and Willa tried to pretend that she hadn't heard, taking off her other pointe shoe.

"Kit isn't dead," she chuffed, throwing her shoes into her bag.

Jessi was clearly embarrassed, nodded, busying her hands by removing pins from her hair, "Yeah, yeah, I mean…yeah, I know that. She's—sorry."

Willa flicked her eyebrows up, beginning the process of taking down her own hair.

"Um," Jessi spoke again, but Willa didn't look at her, "Are you doing okay, though?"

"Yeah!" Willa heard the high pitch in her voice, "I'm fine."

She heard Jessi sigh, "It's not your fault, Willa."

Willa lapsed into silence. Once her hair was down, she tossed her hairpins in her bag just to avoid conversation. She would regret that later. It would take her forever to find every single pin.

"I don't want to talk about it," her tone was clipped.

When she had gone to visit Kit the first time, she had made a fool of herself by bursting into tears.

Why wouldn't she? She felt incredibly guilty. The last thing she had said to Kit had not been kind, and that was going to stick with Willa forever.

Her fighting with Kit hadn't helped anything; and when she had heard about Kit's overdose in her first period class, she had walked right out of the room and to the front office where she had phoned her parents to pick her up.

Her parents didn't quite understand it, but they were being as supportive as they could. That was okay. They were busy planning the move...

It was official, now. Most summer intensives usually began the last week of June and ended the last couple of days before July. If Willa got accepted to one, they'd be moving to Seattle in mid-September. If she didn't get accepted, they'd be moving the week after school got out.

She was happy about it. She really didn't like Forks, but moving was the last thing on her mind when her best friend was in the hospital.

She regretted the whole fight. If she could go back in time, she never would have gone to Kit's house that day. Or maybe she would have and simply been nicer about it.

"Willa, your toe pad."

"What?" Willa snapped out of her thoughts and looked down to where another dancer was pointing to the floor, "Oh, thanks, Rylee."

"Yup," Rylee said, "See you Monday!"

"K," Willa mumbled, but knew that there was no way Rylee heard her.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want to talk about it?" Jessi pushed, slinging her dance bag over her shoulder.

"Yes," Willa rolled her eyes, "You're just being nosy."

"Excuse you!?" Jessi glared, "Kit's my friend too!"

"You barely knew her," Willa accused, leaving the change room and heading towards the exit.

Jessi's angry footsteps followed her, "What's your problem!? Don't be mad at me because you treated Kit like shit!"

Willa turned around so fast, that Jessi almost bumped into her.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" her accent was thick and she wiped off the spit that had flown from her mouth, "I feel bad enough," she blinked back tears, "Stop talking to me!"

She walked off towards her parents' car, having nothing else to say. She hadn't told her parents about the fight, but they had questioned her behavior and it was easy to pass it off as grieving.

What if Kit did die? Or worse?

Willa had decided to Google the long-term affects of hypoxia and none of them were good.

She sniffled as she got into the car and tossed her bag on the floor instead of putting it in the trunk.

She barely registered her mother asking how dance was and shrugged in response.

"I just want to go home," she spoke in English, "I'm tired."

* * *

Emmett was panicking. Completely panicking.

"Emmett, honey, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet," Esme warned him gently, trying to stop his frantic pacing in the living room.

It didn't work.

"How much longer?" he growled at Alice, pausing briefly to look out the window.

Nighttime had long ago fallen, the moon having taken the place of the nonexistent sun, its silhouette blanketed by clouds. The trees had become charcoalized versions of their daytime selves.

"Three minutes," Alice said, her bell-like voice skeptical, "Calm down, he'll be here. Doesn't it make you feel better that he's with Kit? He's taking care of her."

"Whatever," Emmett mumbled, "Knock it off, Jazz!" he glared at his brother.

Jasper held his gaze, arching his eyebrow in challenge, he didn't relent on the calm he was pushing at Emmett.

"You need to calm down," Jasper said, his hand on Alice's thigh, "I know how you get."

Emmett shook his head and went back to pacing. At least Edward wasn't here, with Bella as he always was at night. He didn't need anyone rooting through his head, right now.

 _Flashback:_

 _Thursday afternoon, per usual after school, Emmett pulled into the driveway of the hospital parking lot._

 _The locket in the pocket of his black jeans felt particularly heavy, today._

 _It had been a whole week since Kit had gone into her coma._

 _A whole week since he had heard her laugh, see her smile, kiss her, give her a hug, tease her, or listen to her say "I love you."_

 _He trembled and leaned forward to rest his forehead against the steering wheel._

 _School wasn't getting any easier. In fact, it was getting more and more ridiculous. More posters were put up and as each day passed, it came to light that Kit had more and more "best friends". Apparently, she shared a class with everyone._

 _Lauren and her gang, for once, were oddly quiet. They kept to themselves and clamped their mouths shut whenever someone mentioned Kit—which was often._

 _He felt a little bad for Bella. Willa, too. Because only a handful of people were permitted to visit, the two girls got hounded constantly with questions about Kit that they refused to answer. At least Angela and Ben were polite enough to wait to be approached by the appropriate people._

 _He raised his head. He didn't have time for this. Kit was waiting and he had some stories to tell her. Funny ones that he would repeat when she woke up to make her laugh._

 _He got out of the car and made the trek up to Kit's hospital room and sanitized his hands. The scent of blood still bothered him and he held his breathing, reminding himself to move his shoulders._

 _For the past week, when he and his family came to visit, Everly would jump up, kiss their cheeks and greet them with hugs._

 _She didn't do that this time and when he saw Kit, he understood why._

 _There was another needle in her arm and the oxygen concentrator had been turned up. Way up._

 _"I-I thought she was doing okay?" he hated how weak his voice came out._

 _"She has pneumonia," Everly choked out._

 _" **But** ," Blake piped up, trying too hard to sound optimistic, "It was caught and they're pushing antibiotics. Her temperature has all ready gone down a couple degrees."_

 _Emmett managed to keep his expression cool, "Okay."_

 _He went to Kit's side and brushed his fingers gently across her forehead. She was warmer than usual._

 _"Hey, babe," he managed a small smile, "This has been the boringest week of my life and you need to wake up because I just used boringest and that's not a word."_

 _He heard Blake let out a light chuckle._

 _"School went okay," Emmett continued, "Mrs. Goff asked about you. She says hi."_

 _He stopped talking. His voice sounded hollow and he leaned down to kiss her forehead._

 _"Emmett?"_

 _"Yeah?" he didn't want to take his eyes off of Kit, but looked at Blake, keeping his hand on Kit's hair._

 _Blake looked conflicted as he clutched Everly's hand which she squeezed. Emmett was aware of how Kit's father felt about their relationship. He hadn't approved at first and Emmett probably made it worse by being in the house when he wasn't supposed to be._

 _Blake began to run his thumb over Everly's knuckles, "We're glad that she has you."_

 _Emmett blinked. Too fast, but he was so surprised by this that he couldn't help it._

 _He nodded, much slower, holding eye contact with Blake._

 _"I'm glad that I have her, too."_

 _End Flashback:_

It had been a nice moment to know that he was accepted by Kit's parents. He wondered if Blake would still be able to get his birthday present. Kit had been so excited about it and it had taken her weeks to finalize it.

"Seven seconds, Em," rang Alice's voice, snapping Emmett out of his thoughts.

It was the longest seven seconds of Emmett's life.

Esme looked nervous as she darted to go and meet Carlisle at the door. Greeting him with a kiss and a hug.

"How was work?" she asked, though everyone knew what she was really asking.

Carlisle sighed softly, "It went okay. When I left, Kit's fever had gone down some. I'm on-call if there's an emergency, tonight."

Emmett could feel eyes on him. He should have felt elated by the news, but he wasn't. He didn't feel any kind of way towards it.

Because it didn't matter if Kit had pneumonia. It didn't matter that she was in a coma. This whole thing had been drawn out and dramatic when there was such an easy solution. A solution that stared him in the face every single day. Something that had been a main conversation in their family ever since Bella had moved to Forks. It was in Alice's vision—at least for Bella it was and that was enough for Emmett. It was that solution that was the very sole reason why he and every single member of his family, was alive.

"I want you to turn Kit."

He saw shock color Carlisle's pale and handsome face and his black medical bag dropped from his fingers.

"Emmett," Carlisle said sadly, "You can't make that choice."

Emmett scoffed, "Well, neither can she!"

' _Neither did any of us_ ,' he added as an afterthought, but didn't say it aloud. He wasn't going to pretend that he didn't enjoy his life as a vampire.

"I want Kit to be one of us," Alice admitted, "It'd be nice, but-

"No!"

At the sharp exclamation, Emmett's face became rigged, jaw clamped tight and teeth grinding.

His eyes flashed towards the stairs, where Rosalie stood, glaring at him. They hadn't spoken in over a week and avoided each other at every possible moment.

"Shut up, Rosalie!" he snarled.

"No!" suddenly, she was in front of him, "Turn her now, and the Volturi will _slaughter_ us. There's too many compli-

Emmett wouldn't let his sister get a word in, "It's none of your business!"

"It's _my_ family!" Rosalie argued, "I get a say," she whirled to face Carlisle, "Don't I get a say!?"

Carlisle's lips moved as though he couldn't figure out what to say first, "Yes, you get a say, but-

"You don't get a say!" Emmett insisted heatedly, "Not about Kit. Not. _Ever_."

"Jasper, do something," Alice whispered to her husband.

"No, let them hash it out," Jasper murmured.

Rosalie hissed, "It's her fault-

That was the breaking point of Emmett's patience.

"No, it's YOUR FAULT!" Emmett bellowed and Rosalie took a step back in shock, "This is all your fault!" he shoved a finger in her face, "You treated her like _shit_ every fucking day and you _always_ called her worthless and told her how much of a burden she was!"

Burning rage hissed through his body. He had never been so angry at Rosalie before. He never thought there would be a day when the sight of her made him sick.

"And if she dies," he took a deep breath, his voice dangerous, "If she never wakes up. I will hate you for the rest of my existence," he thought for a second, then added, "More than I do now."

Rosalie gasped and Emmett clenched his fists. His whole body shaking. He needed to turn away now. He needed to get out of the house before he did something that he would regret.

He darted out the back door, wrenching it off its hinges, and into the night, through the blackened trees and wet grass. The scenery was a blur behind him and he only stopped when he could no longer hear the voices of his family.

He slaughtered a whole herd of deer and a bobcat before he could control himself again, feeling the blood slosh around in his stomach.

Clothes torn and bloodied, his hair wild, he plopped to the ground, forming his own crater and shaking a few trees.

He didn't regret anything that he had said to Rosalie and he had meant every single word.

As angry as he was, he hoped he wouldn't have to go through with his promise. He couldn't lose Kit. The mere thought was unfathomable.

And maybe he couldn't turn her. Not yet, anyway. As much as he hated to admit it, Rosalie was right in some aspects. The situation was too complicated and if Kit was turned, Everly and Blake would still lose their daughter and Indigo, her big sister. That wouldn't really fix anything.

Kit would be unhappy. Sure, she'd be safe and healthy, but her family was the most important thing to her and he knew, that she would never want to be turned if she had to be taken from her family like that. But Kit's unhappiness was not an option. Her family would have to be turned too.

And that was a whole other mess. More newborns to keep Kit happy? And Indigo would be an Immortal Child. She'd have to be destroyed and that would destroy Kit.

Emmett shook his head. Yeah, it was way too messy. He and Kit had never talked about her being turned. It had never come up in conversation. Unlike Bella, Kit had never shown an interest in becoming a vampire and Alice had never had a vision of a red-eyed Kit, solidifying that future for her.

Alice had yet to have any kind of vision, solidifying any part of Kit's future.

He tilted his head back, looking up at the night sky and the stars that glittered there. Kit was religious. She believed in God and all that. She had dedicated her time singing about Him and reading the Bible.

Emmett would think that after all that, God would cut Kit some slack and not put her through this.

' _If there's a God_ ,' he thought hesitantly, not sure who was listening, ' _Please_ , _let her wake up_.'

* * *

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

Blake sat, his eyes on Kit. His Kit Kat.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

Her temperature had spiked again. Said by the nurses who had come to move and massage Kit's body on the two-hour mark.

He looked at his wife. Her elbow rested on her knee and she held her forehead in her hand, rocking her body back and forth as she tried to stay awake.

Blake reached over and rubbed Everly's back, "Darling," he whispered, "It's getting pretty late."

At the sound of his voice, she jerked up out of her sleepy reverie and looked back at him.

"M-mhm," she nodded jerkily, then went back to her position, rocking and rocking.

Blake watched her. He could see her continuing to close and open her eyes. She looked so tired, he worried she'd collapse out of her chair.

He pushed himself to sit at the edge of the chair, placing his hand on Everly's back, his other hand going to rub her arm.

She didn't startle this time, but lifted her head slightly.

Vanessa's phone call from the day before, replayed over and over in his mind. He felt like a horrible person.

What father, had to be reminded that he had two children, not just one? And his other child was so much younger. It broke his heart that she was crying for her parents.

Indigo needed them, too. Her first mother was in a coma and her second mother hadn't seen her in eight days. He barely saw Indi. Feeling more like he was a private chef than her dad.

What if this came back to haunt Indigo later in her life? What if she felt so unimportant that she carried this feeling forever and became depressed or resentful and got into drugs or eating disorders?

He swallowed hard, "Darling…you know—um, how about you go home and stay with Indi and I can stay here tonight, hm?"

Everly raised her head more fully and he leaned back to look at her. They stared, eyes a mirror of each other—soft with grief and worry. Blake opened his mouth to add something, but even in her exhausted state, Everly was quicker.

She shook her head, "M-m'okay."

There was silence for several long moments.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

Blake was stuck. He didn't know what to say to that. He clearly couldn't take Vanessa's approach to this subject.

"Vanessa called me, yesterday," he admitted, his voice flat, "Indigo's really upset. Vanessa said she hasn't been listening and her teacher's concerned. She won't eat anything."

Everly's face paled and he waited patiently as she pondered what he had just said.

"I—," but she couldn't finish and shook her head again.

Blake squeezed her arm, "You sure? Indigo needs you."

She bit her lip and lowered her gaze from his, making Blake sigh. He supposed that was his answer.

Keeping his hand on her back, Blake pushed himself to his feet and he pressed his lips to the top of Everly's head, pulling away to go stand over Kit.

He touched her forehead and began to stroke her hair. He leaned down and kissed her warm forehead, letting his lips linger for a few seconds.

When he straightened up, he felt his eyes start to burn, "Night, Kit Kat. I'll see you tomorrow."

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

The only sounds came from the machines and he exhaled softly, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair. It was raining as it usually was and the poor weather didn't help anyone's mood.

He had almost made it to the doorway, when Everly croaked out, "I'm sorry!"

Surprised, he whirled around just as her face crumpled.

"I'm sorry," she gasped out again. She covered her face with her hands and Blake went to comfort her.

"Darling, it's okay," he promised, rubbing her back, but she shook her head.

"It's okay," he said again, leaning down to hug her.

She continued to shake her head, "No!" she sobbed, "No, it's not okay!"

She slouched down in her chair and Blake crouched in front of her. She hid her head in her hands, part of her face shielded by knotted hair that had fallen from her ponytail. She opened her mouth, but it appeared that the words were stuck in her throat and she let out another sob.

Blake's hand reached through the space between her arms, his fingers gently touching her chin.

She dropped her hands, having to bite her lip to look at him, fighting back loud sobs as she managed to speak.

"I-if I," her voice quivered, "Th-that's why we kept them—" she choked on a sob.

"What?" Blake muttered.

"Y-your b-back hasn't," she gasped, "It ha-hasn't hurt in years, but I thought—I should have thrown them away," she sniffled, "I thought we should h-have kept all the medication in our room, but wh-what if K-Kit g-got a headache or h-ha-had bad cr-cramps!? A-and Indi k-knew better—

"Everly," he tried to cut her off, placing a hand on her thigh.

"K-Kit said she hated school," Everly continued, "I-I didn't think she'd over-

"Listen to me," Blake cut her off firmly. His heart broke for his wife, "Darling, this is _not_ your fault. I knew Kit was just as upset. I knew the pills were there and didn't move them. I had taken some Advil, that morning, okay? Do you think it's my fault?"

Everly shifted in her chair and Blake smiled tightly as Everly threw her arms around his neck, bursting into louder sobs.

He wrapped his own arms around her, shifting slightly when he felt a tear drip down his shirt as she shook her head frantically against him.

"You sure?" he pressed.

"I-It's not your f-fault," Everly promised.

"Okay," he whispered, beginning to rub her back again, "We're good parents," he promised her and felt that he needed to hear it too, "A-and I'm going to find out everything that happened. I've…" he paused, wondering if he should bring up the conversation with Emmett, "You're a good mom," he said instead.

At that, she lifted her head to look at him skeptically, tears dripping down her face.

"You are," he insisted. He reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, "Okay?"

She groaned and shrugged one shoulder, then nodded, looking at Kit as she tried to calm herself down.

Blake watched her for a moment. There was so much more he needed to say, but his wife looked so tired and the crying hadn't helped.

"We'll talk more, tomorrow," he told her, straightening up again, "I love you."

More tears welled up in Everly's eyes, "I l-love you too."

He touched her hair, then walked out of the hospital room. He wished he could stay. He wanted to stay, but he had to get home to cook dinner.

He slipped on his jacket as he got outside, ducking his head to avoid the rain hitting his face while he walked towards his car.

The ride home was silent. He tried to keep his mind focused on Indigo. He had no plans for dinner and they weren't a family who ordered takeout often. Something that seemed to lift Indi's spirits was cooking together.

Maybe they'd do something a little more fun and make tacos together. He was pretty sure there was some leftover mushroom risotto from the other night. That would be a good side.

His mind wandered from his short thought out dinner plans. It had only been a day, but he had yet to tell Indigo about Kit's pneumonia. He wasn't sure if he should. He didn't want to worry her, but knew she would ask how her sister was doing.

He pulled into the driveway and shut off the car, thinking back to his wife. He needed to tell her about his and Emmett's conversation. Eve would be furious if he kept something like that from her and it was eating him up inside.

He rubbed his eyes and scrubbed a hand through his hair. He felt like he needed a shower. Everly, sustained her hygiene by cleaning up in the hospital's bathroom while Blake brought her fresh clothes. Because it was such a small hospital, there were no showers or "sleep rooms" for the parents.

He threaded his hand through his hair and took a deep breath before yanking his keys out of the ignition and climbing out of the car.

Inside the house, he kicked of his shoes and pushed them aside with his foot, not bothering to straighten them out.

"I'm home!" he yelled.

"Just you?" Vanessa came into the room, carrying her signature cup of coffee.

Blake shook his head, "Cut her some slack. She had a really rough night. She blames herself for this and…" he rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm sorry," he didn't mention that they were completely panicking about the bills they would receive for Kit's care.

Vanessa looked solemn, "Me too. I had some time today while Indigo was in the shower. I found some… _things_ in Kit's room."

Blake's heart stuttered, " _Things_?"

Vanessa jerked her head and he followed her to the kitchen. He needed to get dinner started, anyway.

"Indi has headphones in," Vanessa told him "I brought over a mini DVD player, Shelly don't use it anymore. She's watching _Lilo And Stitch_. She did okay, today."

Blake nodded and headed to the fridge to get the dinner fixings. He needed to make dinner. His hands shook when he reached for the container of risotto.

His stomach churned as he asked, "What did you find in Kit's room?"

"Her cellphone," Vanessa started, "Took me forever to find it. I hope you don't mind, but I bagged up her blankets. They've started to mold."

"Yes," Blake got out the cod fish and some sour cream, "That's fine."

He placed what he had gathered on the counter, looking anywhere but at Vanessa.

"I found food in her clothing drawers," Vanessa said, "Sandwiches, wraps, spat out pasta, candy."

Blake was not surprised by this, but it was still hard to hear. He forced himself to look at Ness.

"She has an eating disorder," he placed both hands atop the counter and Vanessa nodded slowly, "What else?"

She let out a ragged breath and her eyes softened. Blake figured that he must have looked pretty pathetic for she pressed her lips together and studied him very carefully.

"I found these baggies of pills in between her mattress."

"More of the ones she took!?"

"No, no," Vanessa looked off to the side, frowning, "I don't know what they are, but there's hundreds and hundreds of them in each bag. You can look at them. I put all the stuff I found in their own bags and it's all in one ZipLoc bag. You know, the big ones? I hid it in your bathroom wastebasket."

Blake felt dizzy and he lowered his head.

' _Was she on drugs_?' he asked himself, ' _I saw her everyday_. _She never looked high_. _Her eyes were always normal and besides the vitamin deficiencies_ , _her blood came back clean_. _I'll have to ask Carlisle_.'

He shook his head and went back to getting the necessary things for dinner, feeling wobbly on his feet, "Thank you," he said sincerely. His voice quivered, "That helps a lot."

He could feel his adrenaline going. He had Kit's cellphone, the source of everything. Evidence.

"I'm sorry, honey…"

"Yes, well."

"I suppose I should get going," she mumbled, "I'll see you, tomorrow morning."

Blake paused in his reach for the basil, "I can't tell you how much Everly and I appreciate this, Ness," he faced her, "Seriously, this means everything. We really are trying."

"I know you are," Vanessa nodded once at him, "Goodnight. Oh, before you go, I'll let Indigo know you're home."

Blake placed the cutting board on the counter and went in search of a knife to chop the lettuce, "Thank you,"

"Oh," gasping, he abandoned the cutting board and went to get a frying pan. He preferred heating up the fish on the stove than in the microwave.

While the fish was heating up, he went back to chopping vegetables. His heart leapt in his chest when he heard multiple footsteps on the stairs. After a few seconds, he heard Vanessa call out another goodbye, and the front door shut.

' _Brave face_ , _brave face_ ,' he thought, ' _Be happy_.'

"There's my favorite girl," he looked up from what he was doing and smiled at Indigo as she came to stand beside him, "I was wondering where you were. I thought you were gonna leave me to cook all by myself! Hungry?"

Indigo scrunched her nose and she leaned both her elbows on the counter, having to stand on her tiptoes to do so.

"I guess," she mumbled, leaning her cheek in her hand.

Blake went to put the lettuce aside, "How was school?"

Indigo shrugged, "S'okay, I guess," her nose scrunched in distaste, "I have math homework."

Blake chuckled. Math, of any kind, was not a strong suit in the Algren family.

"How about after dinner, I help you with it, all right?" he offered, "We can do it while we have some hot chocolate. With marshmallows and whipped cream. It's not a school night. How does that sound?"

"Okay," she drawled with a sigh and Blake looked at her somberly.

The scent of fish and garlic filled the room and he went to take it off the stove.

"Do you wanna rip this up for me when it cools down?" he asked, "Here, I'll get you a bowl. There are gloves if you want them."

"Daddy?" Indigo's voice was breathless, "Can I tell you something?"

"Yes, princess," he closed the cupboard and went back to stand at the counter, "Of course you can, what is it?" he made sure to look at her, giving his daughter his full attention.

Her eyes welled up with a sadness her young years should not possess, "Uhhhm," she bit her lip nervously, "I…I'm just scared," her chin trembled and she lowered her head as she began to cry.

Blake's head tilted and he opened his mouth to let in a small breath as tears welled in his eyes. He fought with everything to keep them from falling, but he couldn't control it.

"It's okay, Indi. C'mere," he knelt down and embraced his daughter, "It's okay, don't be scared."

Indigo sobbed into his shoulder and he sniffled into hers. He held her tightly, than placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her gently so that he could look at her.

"Listen to me," he urged, brushing tears from her splotchy cheeks, "Listen, Kit's gonna be okay. She is, all right?" he nodded at her, "She's gonna wake up, we're gonna get her home a-and," he swallowed thickly and pulled Indigo into his arms again.

He felt his face heat up and his shoulders began to shake, his tears bursting forth like an open dam.

He cupped the back of Indigo's head, pressing her face further into his shoulder.

"We'll get her home soon," he choked out and this time, it was Indigo who pulled back to look at him, her small hands on his shoulders and his on her sides.

"She'll wake up and maybe we can take a trip or something. Go to the zoo. We'll all do something fun together."

"M-m'kay," Indigo wiped her face with the back of her hand, sniffling. A tear dripped from her chin.

"You can't worry about this too much," his eyes were pleading, "Kit wouldn't want you to worry, would she?"

More tears fell down Indigo's face, "M-mm-mm."

His thumb massaged her shoulders and he tried to brush Indigo's hair from her face, but it wouldn't stay put, swinging back into place.

She whimpered, "I miss mommy."

He nodded, though Indigo wasn't looking at him, her wet eyes trained on the ground.

"I know you do, sweetie," he kissed her head, "She misses you and loves you and I'm gonna try and get her home, too."

She nodded again, "K."

He pressed another kiss to her forehead and then to her cheek, "Why don't you go wash up for dinner? There's not much to do, anyway."

She nodded and Blake held her hand as she left until he could do so no longer.

When Indigo was out of the kitchen, he stood up and leaned his elbows on the counter, cupping his hands over his mouth to muffle his crying as he broke down again, sobbing into his hands unceasingly.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I decided to change the days of the week at the start of each chapter, to include the number of days that Kit has been in her coma. If I'm being honest, I was getting a little confused, myself and had to keep going back to count.**

 **Also, I got a very irritating review from a "Guest" who decided to call out my "plot holes" because I'm having Kit "act like a Senior in high school." This made no sense to me and I wanted to acknowledge this particular review because it was so disrespectful.**

 **I know a lot of people, who having started looking into colleges as a S** **ophomore in high school-even Freshmen, especially with it's a prestigious school like Julliard. Some parents have raised their kids and prep them for Harvard Law at a very young age. I never implied that Kit was _actually_ applying to schools**

 **I appreciate criticism and suggestions for my story, but I don't appreciate rudeness and being left reviews that, to me, are very condescending and are written out as if I'm a child. I know my characters, I know how to present them, and I know how to write them. I don't need someone pointing out to me that so-and-so is "obviously a Sophomore in high school." I already have a BetaReader.**

 **Please be respectful to me and my writing.**

 **Thank you,**

 **FictionChic**


	39. Loose Up We Break The Scene

**Saturday (Day Nine):**

Angela looked right, then left, then right again. She had lived in Forks her whole entire life, but she didn't go to the hospital often. Only when she needed a checkup.

"Ah!" her eyes lit up when she spotted the correct room number and she paused, when she read the sign that instructed everyone who entered must sanitize their hands.

She took the poster board she was carrying and tried to lean it against the wall, tsking when it slid and fell flat on the floor.

' _Ben offered to carry it for me_ ,' she scolded herself and hurried to rub the gel in her hands.

While she was doing this, she glanced up, looking into the hospital room. The windows and door that slid shut were all glass.

She had never met Kit's parents before, but assumed that they were nice people. They had to be considering how sweet and kind Kit was.

Properly sanitized, she picked up the card and quieted her footsteps as she entered.

That was the nice thing about a small town hospital. Friends were allowed to visit if someone was in the ICU, and Angela was relieved when she went to the front desk, that her name had been put on Kit's visitor's list.

"You came at a good time, Angie," said the receptionist, Lucy, who had gone to school with her mother, "Only three at a time and it's just the mom and a family friend."

"Excuse me?" Angela mumbled softly, not wanting to startle anyone or be too loud.

A black woman turned and looked Angela up and down, frowning at her.

"Who are you!?" the woman demanded.

' _This must be the family friend_ ,' Angela thought and smiled warmly, despite the harsh tone.

"I'm Angela," she introduced herself, "Angela Weber."

"Oh, you're Angela!" a woman jumped up and she swayed.

"Everly!" the other woman reached out to steady her, "Not too fast."

"Oh, Vanessa, hush!"

Angela smiled at the exchange, Everly batting Vanessa's worried hands away.

Everly Algren was 5'6" with dirty blonde hair thrown up into a messy ponytail. She had a full figure that could only be due to motherhood and she had green eyes. Her lips were as full as Kit's and they both had the same Duchess nose. Though, Everly didn't have any freckles, this was definitely Kit's mother.

"My boyfriend and I made this card," Angela thrust the poster board forward, "And a bunch of kids from school signed it."

Everly gasped, her head tilting as she took it from Angela's outstretched hands.

"Aww, that's so sweet," she crooned, "Thank you, she's gonna love it," she looked around for somewhere to put it and Angela was shocked by all the machines, wires and tubes.

"Here, I'll take it," Vanessa offered, "Give me your car keys, I can put it in the back."

While this went on, Angela's gaze slid over to Kit. She was in the hospital bed, hooked up to machines and a breathing tube. There was another tube inserted in her nose and Angela couldn't figure out what that one was for. The sight made her a little nauseous.

"It's nice to finally meet you."

Angela quickly averted her gaze and felt her face flush, embarrassed that she had been caught staring.

"Sorry."

"That's all right," Everly let out a loud breath and she reclaimed her seat, "You can talk to her if you want. Oh, um, my husband obviously isn't here, right now, but I'm Kit's mother and Vanessa is her godmother."

"Godmother?" Angela parroted, "I didn't know Kit was religious."

Everly nodded, "Christian—sit down, honey—just not the 'bible-thumping, we hate everyone, but ourselves kind'."

Angela smiled a little and complied, going to occupy the chair Vanessa had been sitting in.

"Um," she started, "My father's a Lutheran pastor and I think my brothers—Joshua and Issac—go to school with your other daughter."

"Ahh," Everly said. It didn't sound like she wanted to talk, "I see."

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

They sat in silence, and surprisingly it wasn't uncomfortable. Angela was a naturally quiet and reserved person, so she didn't mind the quiet.

"Kit mentioned that you had invited her to go dress shopping?"

"Yes!" Angela smiled a little, nodding, "There was a girls' choice dance and now prom is coming up."

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Everly murmured, "I didn't go to a lot of dances. You found a dress?"

Angela nodded. She had chosen a pale pink dress and a pair of pink strappy heels to match. She explained this to Everly.

However, it was a possibility she might not be able to wear what she had purchased.

"The school's thinking of canceling the prom," she admitted.

It was something that had been heavily discussed on Friday. That same night, there had been a parent meeting with the entire Quillayute Valley school board as some parents were wondering if they needed to pull their children out of school.

There were rumors circulating that Kit had tried to kill herself because she had been bullied.

"Oh, really?" Everly asked, "That'd be disappointing, I bet. So, who, exactly went dress shopping with you?"

The tone threw Angela off and she turned so that her body faced Everly.

"Jessica picked Bella and myself up after school," she answered, "And we all went to Port Angeles. Lauren was supposed to come too, but she had other plans."

"Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory?"

"Yes."

"They were mean to Kit."

"…Yes, I think so."

 _Flashback:_

 _"I can't go shopping with you guys," Lauren announced the day of the outing._

 _"What?" Jessica whined, leaning against her car, "Why not?"_

 _Angela waited to hear the answer. She, Lauren, Jessica, and Bella were all supposed to go dress-shopping for the upcoming dances. They were going to Port Angeles right after school._

 _"Yeah, sorry," Lauren apologized, but she didn't sound sorry at all, "I forgot that I have plans, but text me pictures of your dresses, kay?"_

 _"Sure," Angela nodded. That was doable, "It's too bad you can't come."_

 _"Yeah," Jessica chimed and glanced at Angela, "I guess it'll just be me, Angie and Bella."_

 _"Fuuun," Lauren drawled, looking at her cellphone._

 _"Kit, too," Angela reminded. Kit dressed so cute and she got so many compliments on her shoes, that Angela had to invite her. Plus, she was nice and funny and maybe they could convince her to ask Emmett Cullen._

 _Only, she didn't miss the look that Jess and Lauren shared. Shyly, she bit her lip, frowning._

 _It was Jessica who scowled, " **You** invited **Kit**?" she sounded irritated._

 _Angela raised an eyebrow, "Um, yes? She's our friend."_

 _"She's annoying," Lauren interjected._

 _Angela was careful to keep her tone neutral, "Because boys ask her out? You said the same thing about Bella and have no problem with her going."_

 _Lauren shrugged, "Kit's worse," she said simply._

 _"Seriously, Angela," Jess was back to her whiny tone, "I **can't** believe you invited her. That's so annoying."_

 _"If you bring her, people are going to stare at you," Lauren warned, "And you hate being stared at."_

 _Angela shifted her weight, and began to play with the ends of her hair. That was true. Her height made her very self-conscious and sometimes, she feared that people were staring at her. When she was younger, people would tease her, though now that she was older, she had developed into a very well-liked person at school._

 _"Plus, has she even asked anyone to the dance?" Jessica sneered, "Has anyone asked her to prom?"_

 _Angela didn't know how to respond to that. Quite a few boys had asked Kit to the girls' choice dance and probably to prom as well. Why wouldn't they? Kit was nice and funny and she was really pretty._

 _"Well, I invited her," Angela concluded, "And I'll let you know if we have to get her after school."_

 _"I'm not picking her up," Jessica said firmly, "That's not happening."_

 _Angela's mouth dropped open. She was shocked. Why was Jess being so rude? She had no problem picking her and Bella up after school, and she would have picked up Lauren too if the blonde hadn't canceled._

 _"Angie," Lauren giggled, "There's a thing called a weight limit."_

 _Angela frowned when Jess laughed, "That's mean, you guys," she said quietly, "Kit's not fat."_

 _"Sure," Lauren snorted._

 _"Whatever, it's my damn car," Jessica shrugged carelessly, "I'm not picking her up."_

 _"Then, Kit can come to my house, after school," Angela pulled her backpack further up her shoulders, "That way, you can pick up both of us at the same time. You won't be wasting gas."_

 _She turned on her heal and walked away from her friends. Picking up Kit would use up no more of Jessica's gas, than what would have been used to pick up Lauren._

 _Lately, Jessica and Lauren had been saying really mean things about Kit and it was starting to get on Angela's nerves._

 _She figured that her friends were just jealous of Kit's wild popularity, but she wasn't going to say any of that out loud._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Port Angeles was a beautiful little tourist trap, much more polished and quaint than Forks._

 _But Angela had been here a million times. So had Jess. They knew to head straight to the one big department store in town, dragging Bella behind them._

 _Kit, unfortunately, hadn't been able to come, much to Angela's disappointment, and Jessica had looked very delighted when Angela had come out of her house with no one at her side._

 _So, it was just her, Bella and Jessica and currently, they were looking through the juniors' section for the dress-up clothes. The dance was supposed to be semiformal and no one knew what that meant._

 _They had successfully found the dress racks, when Angela debunked the rumor that Tyler wasn't taking Bella to prom._

 _"I told you it wasn't true," she murmured to Jessica who only snorted in response._

 _Bella ground her teeth, "Do you think that if I ran him over with my truck he would stop feeling guilty about the accident? That he might give up on making amends and call it even?"_

 _Angela giggled and Jess snickered._

 _"Maybe," Jessica wheedled, "If that's why he's doing this."_

 _The dress selection wasn't large, but Angela had expected that. It didn't take long for her to find a few things to try on, but she really had her sights set on the pink dress. It was the only one left in her size._

 _She turned to Bella, "Come with me?" she asked hopefully, eager for Bella's opinion, "Oh, hold on!"_

 _She shifted her picks to her right arm and dug out her cellphone with her left._

 _"What are you doing!?" Jessica hissed as Angela set her phone up to take a picture of a strapless dress. The top was all yellow sequins and the bottom was a poofy skirt make out of pastel yellow tulle._

 _Reluctantly, "Sending this picture to Kit," she snapped this picture, "We're doing the same for Lauren."_

 _She didn't miss the way, Jessica huffed and went off to the changing rooms._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Dress shopping hadn't taken as long as the trio had planned, which in turn upset their plans to go to dinner at a little Italian restaurant on the boardwalk. They still had a good hour._

 _"Why don't we take our clothes back to the car?" Angela suggested and Jess nodded, "Then we can walk down the bay."_

 _"Fun!" Jess squeaked, her fingers tightening around her shopping bag._

 _Jess had purchased a black strapless number and Angela joked that she would pray that Jess could get away with it. The dress made her boobs look fantastic._

 _"You guys go ahead," Bella waved a hand, "I'll meet you at the restaurant in an hour. I want to go look for a bookstore."_

 _"Oh," Angela's eyes lit up, "Well, we can come with you," it had been awhile since she found a good book to read._

 _"Yeah," Jess agreed, "There's one around here somewhere."_

 _Bella smiled tightly, "No, go have fun. Seriously, it'll be kind of boring. I can get really preoccupied when I'm surrounded by books."_

 _Angela nodded, respecting Bella's need for privacy. She really liked the brunette. They were both kind of quiet and had some things in common, "Okay, then. Come on, Jess."_

 _Jessica looked a little more reluctant, but followed, happily launching into how excited she was for the dance, now that they had found dresses to wear._

 _"I'm **so** excited for my dress, I bet Mike'll flip when he sees me!" she gushed, pulling her phone out of her jeans pockets, "And the shoes will look perfect!"_

 _"So will the jewelry that you picked out," Angela added, stopping at the trunk of Jessica's car, "It's so sparkly. The necklace will—Jess, you're not going to open the trunk?"_

 _It seemed as though her friend didn't hear her and Angela wrinkled her eyebrows. Jess was typing furiously on her phone, her shopping bag swinging in the crook of her elbow. Her eyes were hard with concentration and a knit between her own brow. She had her lip between her teeth as if she was fighting back a smile._

 _Figuring that she was texting Mike, Angela chuckled and gently touched Jessica's shoulder which successfully got her attention._

 _"Jess, you can text Mike, later," she laughed at Jess' expression, "C'mon, it's girl time and it's cold. Open the trunk and we can go."_

 _"Oh, right," Jess popped the trunk to her car and they put their things inside, heading towards the boardwalk._

 _Angela had always liked the quiet, but she kept glancing over at Jessica who was still typing on her phone. The clicking of the keypad was distracting and she wondered if Jess and Mike were talking about their second date. She knew that Jess was hoping that he would kiss her, soon._

 _"Seriously, you and Mike can't wait until tomorrow?" she giggled, scowling when Jessica pressed her phone to her chest._

 _Jessica gave her the side-eye, looking like she was going to burst, "I'm not texting Mike…"_

 _It could have been left at that. After all, whoever Jess was communicating with, wasn't Angela's business. She had only been teasing, but Jess had a thing where she would trail off or do something to bait people into asking her further questions._

 _Angela knew the routine well, "Who are you texting? You've been glued to your phone this whole time."_

 _Jessica bit her lip again, her eyes darting everywhere at the people milling about. For a moment, Angela really worried that Jess would explode._

 _Finally, Jessica exhaled loudly, grasping Angela's wrist. It forced Angela to slow down her steps._

 _"Okay, okay," Jessica gasped, "But, like, you **can't** tell anyone. Lauren would **literally** kill me if she found out that I told."_

 _There was an odd discomfort at the pit of Angela's stomach, but she nodded._

 _"Okay, okay," Jess grinned, "So, like, me, Lauren, Katie and Ashley—you know them right? Katie Marshall and Ashley Dowling?" Angela nodded, so Jess continued, "We've beeeeen…kind of messing around with Kit!"_

 _Angela was bewildered._

 _"Messing around with her?" she parroted, not quite understanding._

 _"Shhhhh!" Jessica hushed, tightening her grip on Angela's arm, "Yeah, messing with her. It's funny."_

 _Angela blinked. Messing around? What was that supposed to mean? She didn't think she had ever seen Ashley and Kit talk, though maybe they shared a class together. Lauren had made it abundantly clear that she couldn't stand Kit, neither could Jess and Katie—_

 _"I thought Katie and Kit were friends?" Angela thought back. The two Sophomores had clicked on Kit's first day and had often walked to first period together._

 _"No, Katie tolerates her," Jessica said sharply, "And she's the one that gave us Kit's number. It's funny," she said again._

 _Angela shook her head. For a few seconds, she was silent, "Kit said it was funny?"_

 _"Oh my God," Jess scoffed, "Calm down, Angie. I said it was funny, didn't I? Let's keep walking."_

 _End Flashback:_

"I tried to ask Kit about it once," Angela whispered, glancing over at Everly, "But she said everything was fine."

She suddenly got misty-eyed and she forced herself to breathe past the lump in her throat.

When Everly didn't respond, she asked, "How is she doing?"

"I don't know," Everly frowned, "Her fever keeps going up and down, then spikes during the night. So, that's not good, but they haven't turned up the oxygen concentrator, today. That's a good thing."

Vanessa returned and Angela quickly stood, moving aside so that the woman could sit.

"Blake's here," Vanessa told Everly, "He says he's going to speak to Dr. Cullen about something and then come straight here."

Angela felt out of place and figured that she should excuse herself.

"I should probably get going-

"Oh, you can stay," Vanessa stood up, "I need to get some grocery shopping done, anyway. We're out of milk, eggs and all that fun stuff."

Angela nodded, looking over when Everly gasped and made a move to reach into her pocket, "Let me-

"I've got it," Vanessa cut her off, holding up a hand, "Will I see you, tonight?"

Angela tried to pretend like she wasn't listening, though that was hard when she was standing right between the two adult women.

Had Everly not been going home? Not that it was her business, but what about Indigo?

She got her answer, when guilt crossed over Everly's sullen face.

"Not right now, Vanessa," Everly said firmly. She turned away and reached to take Kit's hand, "We'll talk about it later."

Vanessa rolled her eyes dramatically and left the room in a big huff.

After a moment, Everly patted the spot next to her and Angela complied with the silent request.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that."

Angela shrugged, "That's okay," she took a step forward, then turned to look at Everly, "I can talk to her, right?"

Everly gestured encouragingly, "Go ahead. Hold her hand."

Angela complied and took Kit's pale hand in her own. She was still warm.

"Hey, Kit…it's, Angela…"

* * *

Carlisle frowned deeply at the bags in his hand. One was filled with tiny sky blue pills. The other was filled with bigger, white pills.

' _Kit_ …' he shook his head. He closed his eyes, sighing through his nose.

"What? What are they!?"

Carlisle, ever patient, rose from behind his desk. Blake had requested to speak to him in his office and upon entering, had given him the pills and refused to sit, waiting impatiently for Carlisle to identify them.

"These," he handed Blake the blue pills, "Are maximum strength laxatives. And these," he handed Blake the white pills, "Are extreme weight loss capsules."

He heard Blake's breath hitch as well as his heartbeat get faster. There was a knit between his brow.

"I—laxatives?" Blake questioned, "Don't those make you go to the bathroom?"

"Yes, they do," Carlisle said, "People with eating disorders abuse laxatives because they incorrectly believe they can remove food from their bodies before the calories are absorbed. "

"Oh," Blake was still looking at the pills and sounded breathless, "Oh, okay."

Carlisle went and pulled out a chair, "Blake, maybe you shoul-

"Everyday it just gets worse," Blakes's voice was thin with tears, "Everyday, it's something new."

"She didn't have that much money," he continued, "I mean, if she goes out with Emmett or any of her friends, we give her twenty bucks, just in case, but if she doesn't spend it, she gives it back. And I thought you had to be eighteen to buy diet pills?"

He was panting as if the conclusion he had just come to had physically exhausted him.

Carlisle watched him with sad eyes. The Algrens were such a small family and he knew that they struggled financially. Blake was working as much as he could, in between trying to be there for his wife, Kit, and Indigo. Neither Blake nor Everly had said anything, but Carlisle had to guess, that at one point, they had worried about future hospital bills.

Carlisle had seen his fair share of families fall apart when something like this happened. Divorces, affairs, even suicides.

"Is Everly aware of this?" he asked gently.

Blake shook his head, "N-no. I haven't told her about the eating disorder. I've meant to, but she's _so_ tired. I try to let her rest."

"Kit's my patient," Carlisle reminded. Blake looked so lost, so hurt, and so confused, "And it's not uncommon for doctors to help explain diagnoses, illnesses, or symptoms to parents, significant others or anyone else. If you'd like, I could help you speak to Everly."

"Please. I would appreciate that very much."

Carlisle gestured for Blake to lead the way, lost in his thoughts.

When did teenagers become so cruel? So heartless? Or had they always been that way?

As soon as he walked into the hospital room, Everly gasped and Blake tried to soothe her before she could panic.

"No, no, wha-what happened!?" Everly demanded, "Is she worse!?"

"No, no, shhhh, shhhh," Blake said, kneeling down in front of her, "No, not worse. But…I have something to tell you and Carlisle agreed to help fill in some blanks."

"That's right," Carlisle said. He felt horrible. He never wanted his presence to cause terror like that, "That's all I'm here for. Kit's no worse."

That appeared to ease some of Everly's panic and she nodded, relaxing when Blake placed his hands on her knees.

"Darling," Blake murmured, "I asked Ness to search through Kit's room. I spoke to Emmett the other day—you know, to find out more about the bullying?" Everly nodded and Carlisle remained where he stood, "Emmett told me some things that were really helpful and—Eve, I think Kit has an eating disorder."

Everly exhaled in a quick gust and reached out to touch Blake's cheek, "What?"

"She was getting so thin," Blake whispered, "She wasn't eating—Ness found all this food in her drawers, Emmett caught her throwing up at school—

"Oh my gosh," she let out a shaky breath, "How do you know she wasn't sick?"

Blake's shoulder had begun to sag again, "Not the kind of sick you're thinking. And," he pulled the baggies out of his pocket, "Ness, found these in between her mattress."

Everly sniffled and frowned at the bags, "I don't know what these are."

Carlisle decided to step in, "They're diet pills and laxatives, but she wasn't taking them. Look, the bags are still full. Most diet pills are supposed to be taken up to six times a day…and you would have known if she was taking laxatives."

"Everly," Blake said, "I think—I think someone _gave_ her these pills. I think we should press charges."

Carlisle's eyes widened. That was the last thing he had expected Blake to say.

It appeared, that Everly was just as shocked as he was.

"Wha…?"

"We should sue the school," Blake said, dead-faced, "Sue and press charges against the girls, then, when Kit wakes up, we're packing up all our stuff and going home. We're going home. Back to Hampton."

Everly nodded dumbly, clearly appalled and at a loss for words.

Carlisle cleared his throat, deciding to intervene. Bella's father was in the waiting room and had looked a little uncomfortable. That had been expected. Kit and Bella were close, dating two brothers of the same family—Carlisle's family, his boys, and they spent a lot of time together.

"If you want to involve the police," he murmured, "They would actually like to talk to you. They have probable cause and need to rule out some things in Kit's case. Charlie Swan is here."

Blake straightened up, keeping his hand on Everly's shoulder, "Great. We'd like to speak with him."

"I can page the front desk to send him in, and you three can use my office," Carlisle offered, "I'd be more than happy to stay with Kit in your absence."

Blake nodded and looked to Everly for conformation who nodded, but still looked hesitant.

Carlisle noticed that Everly still needed Blake's support to stand. That simple action appeared to take a lot out of her and he made a note to speak to Vanessa and Esme about how well Everly had been eating. Not well, if the scent of her blood had anything to say about it. And it did.

Everly shuffled over to Kit and touched her forehead.

"Mommy will be right back," she whispered, "Right back, I promise. Carlisle's going to stay with you, okay?"

Blake said his own goodbye and, as he led his wife out of the room, Carlisle went to stand by Kit's head, observing the monitors.

The comforting smile he always tried to wear, fell from his face and he dropped his head down to look at Kit.

He all ready loved her very much. She was like a beloved daughter and had brought so much light and warmth to his family. She had awakened feelings in his youngest son that he and Esme never thought they would see.

If he had given into Emmett's request, now, would be the perfect moment to sink his teeth unto Kit's neck and steal her from the hospital before the screaming could begin.

Venom flooded into his mouth at the thought and he swallowed it back.

It would almost be like Edward all over again. They even had similar eye colors from Edward's human days.

But Carlisle could not take her. There were more complications besides people looking for them or The Volturi getting involved and they were ones he hadn't discussed with his family.

He reached out to run his fingers over her forehead.

He was definitely conflicted, but he was going to do whatever he could to keep Kit human until he was able to discuss with her if becoming a vampire was something she really wanted.

Bending over, he kissed her forehead.

"Oh, sweetheart," he murmured to her, "You're going to be okay. We're going to get you through this. We all love you so much."

* * *

Everly had never met Charlie Swan before.

The man had a mustache and curly brown hair. He had brown eyes and stood about 6'0" with an average build, dressed in his police uniform. He was the Chief of the Forks Police Department.

Carlisle had been kind enough to let her, Blake and Charlie use his office. She hadn't wanted to leave, but Carlisle promised to stay by Kit's side and this conversation was not something that she wanted Kit to hear.

"Our girls are good friends," Charlie said with a small smile.

Everly nodded and she managed to return the smile when Blake came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle.

"Yes, they are," Blake agreed, "Bella's a lovely girl. She comes to visit Kit any chance she gets."

Charlie nodded, "Speaking of Kit. I'm very sorry to disturb you, but this isn't something that happens often in this town. So, I just had a few questions to ask," he pulled out a notepad and pen from his pocket, "How were things at home?"

Everly frowned, offended. What was that supposed to mean? Was he implying that things at home hadn't been going well or that they were abusive?

"Look," Blake held up a hand, "I don't know what you think happened or what you've been hearing, but Kit's a good girl and things at home were great," Everly nodded in agreement, "She gets amazing grades, she has friends, she goes to bed on time and helps out with her sister."

"Okay," Charlie lamented, "I see. I meant no offense. Why don't you two tell me what happened, then," he waited patiently.

Everly felt Blake shift against her to reach into his pocket. She turned her head and saw him pull out Kit's cellphone, extending it it to Charlie with a shaking hand.

"Look for yourself," Blake's hand began to run up and down Everly's arms, "It's ruthless. There's hundreds and hundreds of texts from these girls telling Kit to kill herself."

It was silent as Charlie clicked through Kit's cellphone and Everly scrutinized his every reaction. She hadn't been strong enough to go through it, but she knew Blake had and could tell that he was having a hard time.

' _I don't understand why she didn't tell me_ ,' she thought miserably, ' _I could have helped or changed her number or done_ _ **something**_. _She didn't have to do this all by herself_.'

Charlie's eyes widened and he stared at the phone as if a hippo in a blue tutu had just jumped out from the screen. She could imagine his brain, desperately trying to connect the dots as he read through each and every text message, imagining that this could have easily been Bella instead of Kit.

It was disgusting. She didn't need to read the texts to know that. Just the thought of them made her insides curdle.

She, herself, had been bullied in school. Always. In elementary school she had done nothing but act out until it put in her therapy. In middle school, all the way into high school, she had become _that_ girl. Popular, but not in a good way. She drank, partied, and slept with everyone—girls and guys. Occasionally, at the same time.

It wasn't until much later in her life, that she learned her multiple sexual partners and hypersexuality was due to her background of being sexually abused.

And then, she had met Blake and things got a bit easier when she committed herself to one person and was treated as she always had deserved to be treated, but then she got pregnant and the bullying returned. There was nothing worse than _that_ girl becoming _that_ girl who was also knocked up at seventeen, having her baby two days before her eighteenth birthday.

Not that she regretted it. Kit being born had been the most precious gift in her life.

Still, having every single person question your first borns parentage was something that always produced an ache in Everly's chest. Once, someone had slipped ten casting call flyers into Everly's locker, spilling out when she opened it. They were for the Jerry Springer show.

It's not something she had ever told Kit about. Why would she? How cruel would it be to tell Kit that there were people out there who were adamant that Blake was not her father?

Vanessa had been one of those people once upon a time…

"Everly? Eve, are you all right!?"

"Wha…?" Everly blinked a couple times, her voice sounding hollow to her own ears.

She felt her face being tilted up and then she was staring into Blake's beautiful blue eyes. There was a permanent sadness to them, the once bright color, glossed over. He looked concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked, "You got all quiet and you weren't blinking."

"Why don't you sit down?" Charlie pulled out a chair for her.

"Oh, I'm okay," she assured, but took the seat anyway, "Thank you. I was just spacing out, sorry."

She leaned her elbow on the armrest of the chair and could tell that Blake didn't quite believe her.

Her tired eyes shifted over to Charlie and she saw that his mouth remained in a grim line even when he spoke.

"One of the numbers is saved in the phone as Katie. Is that Katie Marshall?" Charlie glanced at Everly and she nodded, "Do you two know the identity of the other three numbers?"

"Um, it's Ashley Dowling," Blake listed, "Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley."

At the last name, Charlie's face paled and he frowned deeply, but nodded and wrote them all down.

"We called their parents," Everly reminded quietly.

"Yes, we did," Blake said, irritation seeping into his voice, "And none of them responded. Lauren's dad, David. He showed up at a meeting I had to get Kit's schedule changed. He apologized and said it was a misunderstanding," he pointed at the cellphone, " _That_ , is not a damn misunderstanding!"

"The school never informed us," Everly continued, not commenting on Blake's language.

"No, they didn't!" Blake continued to rage, "The principal pulled Kit into a meeting with these girls, dismissed it, then proceeded to scold Kit about her grades. She said he yelled at her and she burst into tears. We didn't get one single phone call."

Everly reached out and took Blake's hand, worried that he'd completely flip and destroy Carlisle's office. Not that she would blame him, but she didn't want Blake to get arrested.

"We want to press charges," Blake said firmly, "Those girls need to pay for what they've done."

"You both know Bella," both Charlie's eyes and his voice was nothing but sincere, "She's the most important thing to me. If I were you, I'd go out for blood, too. I'd want to see those girls rot in prison for the rest of their lives. I might even want the death penalty."

"Okay," Blake said, "And…?"

"You two would definitely have a case," Charlie continued, "And if you want to go forward with it, then I'll help you; but I need you both to seriously understand and listen to what I'm going to say…With this kind of specific situation and this being such a small town, there's a possibility that this will go very, _very_ public and blow up all over the news—nationally and there would be a lot of consequences that would come with that. If it went to trial, the opposing side...their job would be to tear apart your little girl and destroy her character."

"Then don't make it public," Blake snapped at Charlie, "The news doesn't need to know about this and what we do is nobody's business! We deserve our privacy and we deserve justice for this. I don't appreciate this scare tactic you're trying to throw at us! It sounds like you're trying to sweep this under the rug."

Everly nodded while she rubbed her forehead. What Charlie had said did kind of scare her a little. They were also debating suing a whole school district. No matter how small it was, would that possibly go public, too?

Biting her lip, she pictured cameras outside her front door and people with pitchforks and torches running them out of town. They also had Indigo to think about and she was only eight.

Did that all matter if they were gonna go back to Hampton like Blake had said?

"However," Everly rubbed her forehead, responding mostly to her thoughts, then glanced at Charlie, "I do agree with my husband. The reputation of this town that you're _supposed_ to be protecting, is _not_ more important than my baby. You don't get to sweep this under the rug," she paused, then added, "A little birdy told me that Bella and Jessica Stanley are good friends," Everly mumbled, "They all went dress shopping together."

She waited for Blake to react. He looked pissed and she squeezed his hand, worried that his face was going to turn purple.

Luckily, Blake kept his cool and through gritted teeth, he growled, "I see, I understand, now. Is there another officer we can speak to?"

Charlie's lips became a thin line and he adjusted his belt, clearly uncomfortable, "It's true. My daughter and Jessica were friends, but after what's happened, I don't believe they are anymore. My apologies, I wasn't trying to scare you both into not pressing charges. I love my job and would never do anything to jeopardize that. My only intention was to prepare you for all of the possibilities. Again, what I said was in no means meant to be a scare tactic and I'm sorry if it came off that way. Kit and Bella are very close and I'd do anything to help."

Everly and Blake shared a look and she searched her husband's eyes, looking for an answer.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that her Kit Kat was hooked up to all these machines while the girls that had done this were at school laughing and walking the halls with their peers as their lives continued like nothing had ever happened. Like Kit didn't exist. Like she didn't matter.

Tears welled up in her eyes and she nodded at Blake, looking away quickly as a tear dripped down onto her jeans. She didn't think she'd ever stop crying.

She felt Blake squeeze her hand and the pad of his thumb began to rub small circles on the back of the skin.

"We'd like to report a crime," Blake whispered, "Is it okay if I come by the police station to do that?"

As Charlie nodded in agreement, Everly saw that his attitude had changed. He didn't look mad or disappointed or even worried. He looked determined and Everly hoped that he was putting himself in their shoes, imaging that it was Bella hooked up to all those machines.

"Of course," Charlie said, "Any time, today, works great."

"And…?" Blake looked at Everly and she nodded again, "If we want to go through with the lawsuit against the school?"

"I would strongly recommend hiring a lawyer," Charlie said, "Lawsuits are way out my jurisdiction. I was out of line and again, I'm sorry."

"Okay," Blake mumbled, then held out his free hand, "Thank you."

"Of course," Charlie shook Blake's hand firmly, "I'm very sorry that we started off the wrong foot, there. Really, you and your family have been in my thoughts."

"That's all right," Blake said with a small smile, "Perhaps I overreacted…"

"Not at all," Charlie assured, "I get it, it's understandable."

"Thank you," Everly said, when Charlie turned to shake her hand, "Tell Bella that she can come by anytime."

"Thank you," Charlie's lips quirked up in a smile and he nodded at both of them, "I'll see you soon, Blake."

"Yes."

Charlie left them alone in Carlisle's office and Everly was grateful that he hadn't offered to walk them out or show them back to Kit's room.

Everly looked down when Blake knelt beside her, still holding her hand.

"We're really doing this," he said to her and she nodded.

"Yes," she said. This is what she wanted. Kit deserved justice, "When Charlie said we should hire a lawyer—Blake, we can't afford that. We can barely afford our own bills and we need to think about these hospital bills."

"We'll make it work," Blake wheedled.

"No, Blake," she dropped her head back, "We _won't_ make it work. We're talking the hundred-thousands."

"…Do you not want to go through with this, then?" he asked and Everly crossed her ankles, then uncrossed them.

"I want to go through with it," she said firmly, "But I think…I think—Blake, honey," she looked him in the eyes, "I think that…we should call your family."

Blake recoiled as if she had slapped him and her face fell when he dropped her hand to straighten up and step back from her.

"I can't believe you," he started quietly, running a hand through his shaggy hair in disbelief.

"Blake," she kept her voice just above a whisper, "I'm sorry, but…your—

"We should get back to Kit," he interrupted her and more tears fell from Everly's eyes, "I'm sure Carlisle has other patients."

Everly wilted, "What do you suggest we do? Blake, we can't just pack up everything and go back to Hampton. The bills were way too much. We'll still owe money here, we'll have to pay to have everything shipped again, plane tickets, we're going to need to find Kit a therapist when she wakes up…"

Blake shook his head, "We can fundraise with the church."

"Honey," Everly stood up and went to him, reaching up to cup his cheek, "Can we just—can we focus on right now. I _can't_ …" she rubbed her forehead again, "We need to focus on our children, ourselves, and this legal stuff, okay? _Then_ , when that's all settled and it's all done, we'll talk about going home. Yes?"

Blake was looking off to the side, at Carlisle's wall clock and he crossed him arms across his chest, sighing heavily as he looked at her.

His glasses were falling down his nose and Everly pushed them up with her finger. She smiled when he took her hand and kissed it.

"Yes?" she asked again.

"Yes," he agreed.

Everly nodded. She wasn't going to bring up his family again. At least, not at this moment.

"Come," Blake urged, going to open the door, "Let's go back to Kit."

She let him led her out of Carlisle's office and back to Kit's hospital room where they found Carlisle sitting at her bedside, one hand holding hers and the other, gently rubbing up and down her arm.

Upon seeing them, Carlisle rose from his seat and approached them.

"Thank you for sitting with her," Blake said, looking over Carlisle's shoulder at Kit.

"It was no problem at all," Carlisle said softly, "Did everything go okay?"

"We're pressing charges," Blake told the doctor in a low voice, "Against the girls and against the school."

Carlisle nodded slowly, "I see. I think that's the right thing to do. If there's anything I can do to help, I will."

Blake visibly relaxed and Everly let go of his hand to go to Kit's side.

"Thank you," she said quietly, "For everything."

Everly couldn't understand why the town was so wary of the Cullens. Because of their good looks? Because they kept to themselves? The children barely had any friends at school and she couldn't recall Carlisle or Esme ever socializing with the other parents. Not that she had any room to talk. She hadn't socialized that much, either. All her contacts were in Seattle or Olympia and they were mostly business.

She couldn't believe how judgmental people could be. The Cullen family were all such pure and light souls and she absolutely adored their children. They were all family to her and she had never met a bunch of genuinely, kindhearted people.

She started a little when Blake kissed the top of her head.

"Darling, you keep spacing out," concern laced Blake's voice, "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes," she said quickly, "I just…keep thinking. Are you leaving?"

Blake nodded grimly, "Police station. Figured it's best if I get it over with."

She bit her lip. Charlie's words were still bothering her.

"You don't think this is going to blow up into some big, public thing, do you?" she didn't want her family plastered all over the news and she didn't want a huge, giant, spectacle of a public trial.

Their lives were not an episode of Law & Order: SVU.

"No, I don't," Blake stroked her hair, "I won't let it come to that."

She sighed, but mumbled a small, "Okay," and fell silent so that Blake could say goodbye to Kit.

* * *

 **Sunday (Day Ten):**

Indigo rolled over in her bed, shifting uncomfortably. She was hot. Way too hot.

Grumbling, she sat up, rubbing at her eyes with her fists and kicked off the blankets. Her parents had so many blankets on their bed and her daddy must have tucked her in which meant he was either downstairs or he had left.

Sighing heavily, she laid back down with all plans to go back to sleep, but then a pleasant scent hit her nose, making her stomach growl. She could definitely smell bacon and either pancakes or waffles. She preferred waffles.

She sat up again and looked around for Mr. Hoppy, her stuffed bunny, sitting him up so that he was propped up right against the pillows.

She only made sure to have him at night. Sometimes, she had urges to carry him around, but she wasn't a baby and left him on the bed.

She pushed herself to the edge of the bed and hopped down, wiggling her toes in the soft carpet. She adjusted her pajama shirt and pulled up her matching pants.

She really hadn't been that hungry lately. She missed Kitty and her mommy. School wasn't that fun anymore and neither was soccer. Her daddy still managed to go, but he never seemed like he was having as much fun as he usually did.

Her stomach made more noises and she decided it'd be best if she went downstairs on her own. It was better than Vanessa coming upstairs to wake her up again. She could be so _loud_ , sometimes.

She went to her dresser and dug out a pair of white fuzzy socks, slipping them over her feet. The hallways, stairs, and kitchen floor were all hardwood and always made her feet cold.

She padded softly down the stairs, remembering that Kitty always warned her to be careful. It was weird, not waking up in Kitty's bed and seeing her in the morning.

" _You're supposed to crack the eggs in separate bowls_!"

" _Don't you think I know that_?"

" _No_ , _I don't_. _How often do you watch the Food Network_!?"

" _How often do you_!? _You're not an expert chef_!"

Indigo frowned at the voices whispering heatedly in the kitchen. She didn't recognize them, but knew they didn't belong to Vanessa. In fact, she didn't hear Vanessa at all, through the sizzling of frying pans and the sounds of dishes moving around.

Shyly, she went into the kitchen and gasped at the big bear of a man she spotted first.

"EMMY!"

She ran to hug him and giggled when he lifted her into his big arms.

"Hey, kiddo!" Emmett greeted her warmly and she beamed at him when he kissed the side of her forehead, "How are you?"

Indigo hesitated, "Um, I'm okay," she twisted around, "Hi, Alice!"

Alice smiled widely and Indigo shivered when the girl touched her face, "Hello, little one. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," Indigo nodded, "Did you?"

Alice chuckled and so did Emmett, his laugh shaking her so hard, she held onto his arm for dear life.

"Yes, little one," Alice murmured, "We did."

"Well, what are you guys doing here?"

"We thought we'd stop by and cook ya' some breakfast," Emmett grinned at her and Indigo thought his breath smelled really nice, "Your dad said we could."

"He did!?" Indigo gasped, "Then, are you guys gonna take me to see Kitty!?"

Emmett's grin fell from his face and his bright gold eyes watched Indigo carefully.

Which each passing second, Indigo began to feel really sad.

"Not today, kiddo," Emmett told her reluctantly.

Indigo pouted at him, "But why not!?" she whined, "You and Alice get to see her _all_ the time! It's not fair!"

"Indigo, stop all that whining."

Indigo turned her head. Vanessa was at the table, drinking from a blue mug and reading the newspaper. Indigo hadn't noticed her, at first, and she felt her heart drop. She hated it when Vanessa scolded her like that. Vanessa was not her mommy.

"I'm not whining!" Indigo argued, making a face, "Why can't I go see, Kitty!? Please, Vanessa? Daddy said I could!"

"Baby girl, not today," Vanessa said sadly. She set down her newspaper, "I'll tell you what, when I go to the hospital, I'll make sure to ask your daddy—"

"And mommy!" Indigo piped, shifting in Emmett's arms. He wasn't very comfy.

Vanessa, who would have usually nagged her for being impolite and interrupting, instead, looked sadder.

"Yes, Indi, and mommy," Vanessa promised, going to place her mug in the sink, "But until then, you can have fun with Emmett and Alice."

Indigo's shoulders slumped. She supposed that sounded okay, but she'd really rather just go and be with mommy and Kitty in the hospital. Her daddy had promised that she could be with Kitty and it had been forever since then.

"I guess…" she sighed softly.

"Aww, cheer up, kiddo," Emmett tousled her hair and grinned when she scrunched her nose up at him.

"We'll have a lot of fun," Alice beamed at her, "We can get some ice cream or go shopping. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Fun," Vanessa answered for Indigo and the latter frowned, "I'll be around. Keep me updated. I'll be in the living room."

Indigo followed Vanessa with her eyes and when she could no longer hear the footsteps, she turned to Emmett, pushing on his shoulders. His skin, she noticed, didn't move or give like hers did.

"Take me to see Kitty?" she begged quietly, "Please? Pretty please? I won't tell anyone. I promise."

"Oh, little one," Alice began to stroke her back and Indigo twisted to look at her, "I don't think your parents would be very happy with us."

"That's okay!" Indigo assured them, "I want Kitty! Why do you guys get to see her!?"

"Indi," Emmett had never used her nickname before, "Hey, it's all right."

With a huff, Indigo turned and burrowed her face in the crook of Emmett's neck, not minding the cold. Alice was still rubbing her back and she sniffled.

"Aww," Emmett crooned to her, "Come on, now. I know you miss her. I do too, but today we're going to have a lot of fun and then you can tell her all about it. Right?"

"I guess, so," Indigo mumbled, lifting her head. She sighed, "Is breakfast ready?"

"Sure is!" Alice grinned, "Why don't you and Em go take a seat at the table."

Indigo nodded and Emmett set her down. Suddenly, she felt much, much smaller not being in his arms. He was so tall and big.

Still, she took his large hand and led him over to the table so that they could sit down.

"We have coffee," she told him, "Or juice, or milk, or tea, or water, or hot chocolate."

Emmett chuckled, "Thanks, kiddo, but I'm all right."

"M'kay," Indigo sat down and pulled out the chair next to her, "Sit by me, please."

"Sure thing," Emmett sat in the chair next to her and folded his hands atop the table.

Reaching over, Indigo patted his hands a few times and she tilted her head when Emmett took her hand in his.

"Why are you so cold?" she asked him. She squeezed his hand, "Ow. And you're not very soft, either."

Immediately, Emmett released her hand and dropped both of them into his lap.

"Here, you are!" Alice placed a plate of eggs, bacon, and waffles in front of Indigo as well as a cup of hot chocolate, "Eat up."

"Thank you, Alice!" Indigo placed her napkin on her lap and reached for her hot chocolate. She was delighted to see the whipped cream and marshmallows on top.

She took a sip. She was sad she couldn't go see Kitty, but it seemed like she would get to go soon. After all, Vanessa had said she would ask, and Emmett had said she could tell Kitty stories about their day.

She placed her cup back on the table and licked her top lip, glancing at Emmett's place. He really didn't have that much. A lot less than her and she would think, because he was so giant, that he would eat tons.

"Is the rest of your family cold like you?" she asked Emmett, "And not soft? Would it hurt if I pinched you?"

"You are so nosy," but Emmett didn't look mad, he looked happy, "No, it wouldn't hurt if you pinched me, but I wouldn't recommend it," he chuckled.

"Why?" Indigo picked up her bacon, but then set it back down, "Would you beat me up? Have you done that before?" she looked him up and down again. He was kind of scary, "Ever kill anyone?"

Alice gasped, horrified, but Emmett laughed, throwing his head back. When he recovered, he pulled Indigo's hot chocolate cup towards himself, making Indigo cry out.

"I think you've had enough sugar," he said, grinning, "Eat your breakfast."

"Yes," Alice agreed quickly, "We have a lot to do, today. Kit needs a new comforter for her room. Do you want to pick it out? I bet you know her best."

"I do!" Indigo declared. Picking up her bacon again, she took a bite.

She felt a little better. Kitty's old comforter had gotten gross, so, what was she going to do when she came home? Sleep without blankets?

She liked that she would get to pick out the new one and she hoped Kitty would like it. The comforter, Indigo knew, would definitely be yellow.


	40. But There Were So Many Red Flags

**Monday (Day Eleven):**

"Why is Angela being such a bitch?"

Katie glanced up from the pavement of the school's parking lot and up at Lauren. School hadn't started yet and per usual, everyone was hanging around their cars chatting and laughing. It was barely sprinkling, which was almost as good as sunshine.

She and her friends were hanging around Jessica's car when Lauren had pulled into her spot and greeted them with her odd question.

How was Angela being a bitch? She was the quietest, gentlest person that Katie had ever met. She never interrupted anyone and was always nice and would help anyone with their homework if they asked.

Ashley appeared to have the same thoughts, "What do you mean?"

"I called her on my home phone, right?" Lauren started and waited for them to all nod, "And when I said it was me, she _hung up_!"

"What!?" Jessica gasped, "She did not!"

"She did," Lauren insisted, popping out her hip, "I was like…what the heck?" she rolled her eyes.

"Maybe she's pissed off about the prom thing?" Ashley suggested.

Katie rolled her eyes heavily. Who the hell cares? It was prom. A stupid dance that benefited nothing. Prom wasn't going to help any one of these students get into college or get a career. Winning Prom Queen or King wasn't going to get anyone a solid career as a doctor or a pilot or whatever.

Besides, it was weird to Katie that people were being so selfish, and still wanted to have prom, when one of their fellow students was basically on life support.

At least, that's what Katie had heard.

"She should be pissed about the prom thing!" Lauren stomped her foot, " _I'm_ pissed about the prom thing! I can't believe this is happening to me," she touched her forehead as if she might faint.

"I bought a dress," Jessica chimed with a distinct sneer, trying to one-up Lauren.

"Katie was gonna have a date," Ashley said, and Katie looked at her, "Eric was going to ask her. Wasn't he Katie?"

"Eric Yorkie?" Lauren asked, raising her faint eyebrows.

Katie bit her lip and nodded. For the past few months, she and Eric had been texting and talking on the phone quite frequently. He would walk her to class and always made a point to sit next to her at lunch.

He was a total geek. Into science and comic books and nerdy stuff like that, but Katie wasn't going to lie—she found it kind of interesting and he always lit up whenever she asked a question about a certain character.

"He's sweet and funny and really smart," Katie defended him quietly.

Lauren snorted, Jessica laughed and Ashley murmured a snobby, "I know, right?"

Katie glared at them. Why couldn't they be happy for her? There was nothing wrong with Eric and she could easily recall having to defend him the first time, when Ashley had outed her crush on Eric to the two Junior girls.

Jessica had tried to convince Katie that Eric didn't like her, but liked Kit and was telling everyone he was going to ask the freckled-girl out.

She shook her head, "You guys are so mean."

Ashley laughed and Katie winced when Ashley threw her arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer to the group.

"Come on, we're just joking!" Ashley assured her and Jessica snickered.

Katie blinked, "But…it's not funny."

"Oh my God, Katie, seriously!" Lauren's voice was teetering between annoyance and humor, "You are _such_ a baby."

"So overly-sensitive," Jessica agreed, flipping her hair.

Katie gritted her teeth, "Stop saying that! I'm not sensitive, you guys are just mean. You don't need to comment on _everything_! Who gives a shit about prom!?"

Lauren's eyes darted around, then settled on Katie, who was still glaring.

"Okay, Katie, we're sorry," she whispered, "Calm down, you're gonna draw attention. Seriously, chill."

Katie took a deep breath through her nose.

"Yeah," Jessica told her, shifting her bag strap, "Eric's…cool. I've never seen him cleaned up in a suit or dress-up clothes. I bet he'd be…cute."

Katie couldn't help but smile at Jessica's attempt to be nice, "Thanks."

"But I guess we'll never know," Ashley huffed, crossing her arms.

"Okay, but there has to be a rule about this," Lauren called back the attention to what really mattered: prom, "It's not fair. Kit isn't God's gift to Earth—the world doesn't revolve around her!"

Over the weekend and after the disastrous meeting the school board held Friday night, it had been decided that instead of prom, a candlelight vigil would to held for Kit Algren in its place. The prom funds had all ready been used to purchase candlesticks and flowers.

Katie felt her shoulders slump. She hadn't known how to react when the news of Kit's suicide attempt had spread throughout the school. Her heart had stuttered in her chest and began to race.

Surprisingly, Lauren, Ashley, and Jessica hadn't said a single word about it. They just rolled their eyes or shared secret looks whenever someone brought it up, which was often.

But she and Kit had been friends.

"People have spent money," Jessica complained, "Soo, like, do we get refunds? What if I get terminal cancer next year? This could be my only prom!"

"Tyler almost _died_ in a car accident." Lauren's hand went to her heart and Katie wondered if the blonde actually had one, "Where was his candlelight vigil? He wants to go to prom with _me_. _That_ should be enough. He's here all of his life. Kit hasn't."

Katie could feel the bitterness and jealously coming off of her friends clogging her pores. Whether or not they liked it, it was obvious that the vigil was simply the right thing to do. Plenty of students were upset about what had happened. On Friday, Katie had seen two girls embracing as they cried.

Katie had never known anyone to kill themselves and it had hit the town hard.

"I heard that the school was going to take Kit's picture and make a bunch of flyers," Ashley said wryly, "Think the Cullens will go to the vigil?"

Lauren visibly bristled, "That's a stupid question! Obviously, they're obsessed with her. Stupid whore."

"Lauren!" Katie gasped, "Stop!" any other time she would have laughed or chimed in an agreement, but now, with Kit in her coma, it just seemed…wrong.

Lauren's eyes became big and she turned her head, too slow to be normal.

"What? What the hell did you just say to me?" she bit out slowly.

"Give it a rest," Katie said sullenly, "Leave her alone. It's getting old. The vigil is a nice thing to do."

"Oh my God!" Jessica laughed, her eyes crinkling with amusement, "Did you hear that, Lauren? It's a _nice_ thing to do."

"Yeah," Katie mumbled. She had been nice to Kit at first…

"Okay, guys," Lauren, the picture of calm, leaned against Jessica's car, despite the look she received from the curly-hair girl, "Did you hear that? Apparently, Katie makes the rules around here. So, we're all being _nice_ , now."

Ashley snickered, "She'll be running Kit's vigil."

"Or eulogizing at her funeral," Jessica suggested and they all laughed.

Katie didn't think it was very funny. It would be horrible if Kit died.

"Katie, since you want to be so nice, then you can go find other people to hangout with," Lauren inspected her nails, "I'm sick of you standing up for Kit and running your mouth."

Katie actually felt like she was going to cry. If Lauren, Jess and Ashley shunned her, then she wouldn't have a group to hangout with. She'd have Eric and a few other people, but this was her main clique and she liked being popular. It was amazing when people she barely spoke to, commented on how great she looked in her outfit when she passed them in the hall or said hi or that they were obsessed with the shoes she wore.

"Go on," Lauren waved a hand, "Go away."

"…I wasn't standing up for her," Katie said meekly, "Kit's basically dead and if people overhear you say those things, they're going to start talking...more than they are. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be a bitch. If the school doesn't do the vigil, I bet a ton of parents will be pissed off and threaten to sue the school or something. Didn't you hear about the meeting?"

"Whatever," Lauren said shortly.

No one said anything else and it was uncomfortably quiet between the four.

Katie, however, was distracted by the sight of two cars pulling into the parking lot and she felt her stomach drop to her feet.

Nervous, she began to wiggle her toes in her shoes, waiting impatiently for the occupants to step out.

Out of the sleek silver Volvo, stepped Bella and Edward. Katie lived right near Bella.

Out of the sleeker, more expensive-looking red convertible, stepped Rosalie, Alice, Emmett and Jasper. The latter looked kind of sick instead of the painful expression he usually wore. Maybe it was a combination of both. Either way, Jasper didn't look happy. None of them did.

She shifted and swallowed, as she began to fidget. She felt a little dizzy and took a deep breath.

"Um," she muttered, "I think I'll be right back."

Her heart was hitting her chest so hard, she thought it would break her ribs. People had always been wary of the Cullen family and as Katie walked forward, her hands began to shake. She felt goosebumps spread up her arms and the hairs of the back of her neck stood up.

Through all of this, she tried to stay calm and confident. Maybe she'd have a better chance talking to Bella. She was as big as a freak as her boyfriend and his family, but would be easier to talk to.

"Bella!" she called, hating how raspy her voice came out.

Much to Katie's surprise, the brunette stopped walking, giving Katie more time to approach her. She stopped right in front of Bella, her heart still beating wildly.

It kind of irked her, the way Bella was looking at her. The clumsy girl looked at Katie like she was a pesky fly that wouldn't go away.

"What?" Bella asked sharply.

"Um," Katie's eyes went to Bella's and Edward's linked hands, then traveled up to look at him for a short half-second. He looked more pissed off then Bella did, his dark eyes hard.

"Um," Katie's breath caught in her chest, "Did you hear? Prom was…canceled…"

"I heard."

Katie felt her stomach turn in an unfriendly way. Why was Bella being such a bitch? Katie was just trying to be nice. After all, they were neighbors.

Katie heard Edward snort lightly and her cheeks burned in a painful blush. Being around any of the Cullen's, always made her squirm.

"Did you want something?" Bella asked impatiently, "Class is going to start soon and I wanted to get some reading in."

' _If I vomit I'm literally going to kill myself_ ,' Katie thought, swallowing again.

"I just," she cleared her throat, "I wanted to ap—I wanted to _ask_ , I guess—or—there's gonna be a vigil, I think and—well, is Kit—

"None of your goddamn business!"

The loud, yet musically voice startled Katie and she turned as she jumped, facing Rosalie who was approaching her rapidly.

Rosalie was so gorgeous even in anger. Her blonde hair bounced with every angry step, her hips swayed. It was intimidating.

Still, Katie felt defensive. She and Kit had been friends way before Rosalie ever came into the picture. Rosalie didn't even like Kit. Everyone at school knew it.

"I was trying to be nice—

"Oh, shut up!" Rosalie snapped loudly, "You're not nice. You're a cruel, heartless person and this is _your_ fault! This is all your fault!"

Katie growled, "You've known Kit for what? Five freakin' minutes!?"

"You and your stuck-up friends have been _torturing_ Kit, for what? The entire time she's been here!?" Rosalie mocked her and Katie's mouth dropped open.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jessica grab Lauren's arm.

She felt numb as tears gathered behind her eyes, "I-I didn't mean to…" she sniffled, then whimpered.

"You did!" Rosalie snapped and Katie felt her tears fall, "Ugh, stop crying. It's not cute. It should be you in the hospital, not Kit!"

Katie heard footsteps and before she knew it, all her friends had come to comfort her. In fact, it was Lauren who spoke.

"You're making her cry," Lauren sneered at Rosalie.

Rosalie made a noise that Katie had never heard before, but frightened her to her very core. Lauren gasped in her ear and she swore that she heard Ashley whimper in fear.

"I suggest you get out of my face," Rosalie said lowly, "We have class to get to."

"It's okay, Katie," Jessica tried to soothe her and Katie nodded, "Hurry, come on. Everyone's looking. Come on!"

Katie nodded tearfully and let her friends lead her away.

"Keep your head down," Ashley hissed, "Let's go to our bathroom."

'Our bathroom' was the bathroom they all occupied during the mornings. There was never enough time to get ready in the morning at home, so, sometimes, they would all meet in the bathroom closest to the lunchroom and do their makeup. Once, Lauren had brought her hair straightener.

"Oh my God, everyone's looking," Jessica's voice quivered.

"That Rosalie is such a fucking _bitch_ ," Lauren said hurriedly and Katie was comforted by the fact that Lauren no longer seemed angry at her, "You didn't do anything wrong. There's no rule against talking to their precious Bella Swan. That blonde bimbo literally _attacked_ you!"

"And her brothers and sister didn't even try to stop her," Ashley raged, "Alice and Jasper were talking to Emmett like nothing was happening. They should have stopped Rosalie when she started screaming at you. It was the right thing to do. If I had siblings, I would _never_ let them attack someone like that."

"I was trying to be nice!" Katie wailed. They were in the bathroom, now and she had been released from her friends' arms.

"We tried to warn you," Jessica commented, ripping out a handful of paper towels.

"I know," Katie sniffed and wiped her tears. There was no reason for Rosalie to scream at her the way she did. She had been talking to Bella, not to her. She hadn't called Bella any names—out loud, that is—and had been speaking in a normal, friendly tone.

"Everyone knows that the Cullens are a bunch of freaks," Lauren proceeded to fix her eyeliner, "They have no friends, they all date each other—that's incest, you know—and their father practices plastic surgery on them. Whatever they say, is worthless. No one will believe them."

"Yeah," Katie accepted the towels, trying for an even tone, "Thanks."

"It's a good thing you don't do your bottom lashes," Ashley pointed out, referring to Katie's mascara, "If you did, it would have stained your foundation."

Katie managed a weak and watery laugh, carefully wiping away the last of her tears.

* * *

 _Hampton, New Hampshire, 2003:_

 _Everly was hurrying to butter toast, pour milk and coffee, scramble eggs, and flip pancakes._

 _It was a full spread, as it had been for the past few weeks since moving her small family from their broken-down, one bedroom apartment, to her mother's giant house which had been left to Everly when she died._

 _' **Wow** ,' she thought, shaking her head. Tears built up in her eyes and she let one fall, ' **It's almost been a month**.'_

 _A whole month without her mother. Never, in a million years, did Everly think she would be an orphan by age thirty-one. Her father had died when she was five, way before Kit was born. He had died in war and it had been very hard on her mother._

 _It was quite literally just her, her husband and her two children. Blake was estranged from his family and had been for quite awhile._

 _If she was honest, Everly wasn't too broken up about it. She had never cared for Blake's parents; and they had never cared for her._

 _She had no parents._

 _Blake was taking the loss of his mother-in-law just as hard as she was. Katherine had been his mother figure and Blake had even called her 'mom' here and there, lighting up Katherine's eyes like a Christmas tree._

 _He was at work, now. A boring desk-job that he hated and later, he would go to his retail job at a shoe store, which he equally hated; so that she could be a stay at home mom._

 _She was in the process of trying to get him to quit. When her mother's lawyer had said that Katherine left her and her small family everything, he had actually meant everything._

 _They had enough money to start their art careers. They had connections and friends in the community, but had never had enough money for the expensive paints, the pencils, the easels, or anything else._

 _She usually worked as a receptionist for a hair salon, but was taking some time off to grieve and be with her children._

 _She snapped out of her thoughts and hurriedly wiped away any last traces of tears, going back to the stove to ladle some more pancake batter into the frying pan._

 _By the sounds of the footsteps, Everly could pick out that it was Kit. Indigo never wore high heels and it was still early. Her youngest should still be sleeping._

 _"Hey, Kit Kat, good morning," Everly made her voice extra cheery, "Did you sleep well? Don't worry, breakfast will be ready in a second, just let me finish this, so that your pancakes will be extra hot. We ran out of blueberries, so-_

 _"I can't go to school, today," Kit's voice was low and sad._

 _"Oh, honey," Everly tsked, "I know you're having a hard time, but—_

 _She turned to face Kit and her loud gasp was muffled by the loud shattering of glass. She had dropped the butter dish._

 _Her mouth hung open, eyes so wide she feared that they would pop out of her head._

 _"Oh…my gosh," she breathed, "Oh my gosh!" her voice was laced with hysteria._

 _Her daughter's thick, luscious, dark chocolate s-shaped waves that had cascaded all the way down to her waist was…was…they were gone!_

 _Kit's hair had been—had been—the waves had been chopped off and didn't even come close to touching her shoulders! Her hair was uneven in all places and looked lopsided and stiff. Even her feathery, fringe forehead bangs had been completely cut off and exposed too much of Kit's forehead, almost going up to her hairline._

 _Everly stood there, mouth moving as she floundered for words._

 _Kit, however, was just standing there staring at Everly with a blank and bored expression._

 _"I—I don't—wha…? How did—what—wha…?"_

 _Kit lifted one shoulder in a small shrug, "It was an accident."_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _"Mommy, I'm tired," Indigo whined, rubbing at her eye with her fist._

 _"We'll—" immediately, Kit clamped her mouth shut and averted her gaze, considering she couldn't turn her head._

 _Everly blanched and exhaled softly. She reached over and patted Indigo's arm._

 _"I know, Indi, we'll be done soon," she promised, "Try and be patient, okay?"_

 _She reached around to cup the side of Indigo's head and pushed gently until Indigo was laying against her side._

 _They were sitting in the waiting chairs by the doors of the hair salon where Everly worked, while Kit was in the style chair, having her hair done by Deetra, a woman that attended the church they went to and sung along with Kit in the choir._

 _Or should she say used to? Kit hadn't been to church or choir practice since Katherine's passing and wanted to quit._

 _Everly figured she had no right to scold Kit, but still encouraged her to think about it. After all, she hadn't been back to church, either._

 _"Don't worry, hon," Deetra ran a rat tail comb through Kit's hair, angling her scissors, "I never saw you, I promise."_

 _"Thank you so much, Dee," Everly said. She smiled, though it was forced, "We really appreciate this. Don't we, Kit?"_

 _"Yes," Kit whispered._

 _"Seriously, I have been wanting to cut your hair forever!" Deetra said, very perky, "You're gonna look so dang cute, you have my word! I'll be done in a sec."_

 _"From what I can see, it looks cute!" Everly added optimistically, "It makes your cheekbones look nice and you can see more of your face. It makes you more approachable."_

 _"I'll teach you how to style it," Deetra continued, when Kit didn't respond, "It's really easy and you can use the products you're currently using. The leave-in conditioner. And you know, now you can use a lot less of it and I bet your showers will be a lot shorter. You can finally sleep in."_

 _Deetra's positivity warmed Everly's heart. Not only had her friend opened early to help take care of Kit, but not once had she spouted any of that "So sorry for your loss". Though well-intentioned, currently, those words would do more harm than good._

 _"Aaaaand, done!" dramatically, Deetra spun Kit's chair around and passed Kit a black hand mirror._

 _Everly gasped, her hand fluttering near her mouth._

 _Kit's dark chocolate hair had been cut into a short, choppy bob and Deetra had styled it with her own products and parted Kit's hair slightly down the left._

 _' **I barely recognize her** ,' Everly thought, tilting her head. Kit had always had long hair. One of the many things that made her look like her grandmother._

 _She wanted to get up, but Indigo was sleeping heavily against her side._

 _"Honey, you look great," she told Kit sincerely._

 _"Doesn't she?" Deetra was leaning over the back of the salon chair, touching Kit's hair, "And now it looks like you did it on purpose. You look beautiful."_

 _Kit visibly grimaced at her new look, "Thank you."_

Sitting in the hospital cafeteria, Esme nodded slowly. She had convinced Everly to come down to the cafeteria with her and eat something. She had gotten Everly some chicken and rice soup while she forced herself to eat an apple and choke down some coffee.

"I should have known," Everly choked out, "I mean, she cut off her own hair. She played it off as an accident, but…"

"It's not your fault," Esme promised, reaching over to touch Everly's wrist, "You're such a good mother. Trust me, Kit absolutely adores you."

Everly's lips quirked up in a stiff smile and Esme was happy when she took a bite of her soup.

"She's such a good girl," Esme continued, "We love her very much. She definitely knows how to keep my son in line."

Everly chuckled a little, "He's good for her," she admitted, "Kit needs someone like Emmett. She can be such a bore, but Emmett took her hiking and wild swimming and he makes her loosen up. She's so serious all the time."

Esme smiled warmly. She loved seeing Kit and Emmett together. They were so opposite, but got along so well.

Her small smile fell when a tear dripped down Everly's cheek.

"I don't think I'll make it without her," Everly sniffed.

"Oh, Everly, you can't think like that," she squeezed Everly's hand, then let go, "I know it's hard, but you have to try and think positive."

The words tasted weird on her tongue. She knew exactly how Everly felt. Before she had been turned, she had fallen pregnant from her abusive ex-husband Charles. Her baby had died of lung fever. Her darling little boy dead before he could live. The cliff had seemed like the only option. After everything she had been through, she couldn't handle the loss of her child.

It had been such a horrible, frightening time in her life.

She easily recalled telling Bella part of her story, but she hadn't told Kit. Maybe she should have.

She thought of telling Everly, but thought better of it. She wanted to stay off the topic of losing children.

"Why don't you tell me more stories about Kit?" she suggested, "Tell me, what was she like as a baby?"

"Oh, gosh," Everly's breath hitched, "She was wonderful…"

Esme nodded at her encouragingly, pushing Everly's soup bowl closer to her.

* * *

Emmett tapped his foot rather impatiently, sitting in the colorful, bad news room. He had come to see Kit, but the nurses were with her, now and it was only family allowed until they were finished.

He could still hear everything coming from her hospital room though, and none of the sounds were pleasant.

Needing a distraction, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out the baggie he always carried with him and dumped Kit's locket into his hand.

He cradled it carefully. It was old, but he supposed he could see its appeal. It was so Kit.

Was there a picture inside? Kit had never told him if there was or not and he didn't think it would hurt anyone if he looked inside. After all, Everly had given it to him to look after.

One wrong move and he could break it, so he minded his actions, gently prying open the side of the locket to look inside.

There was only one picture…and it was a picture of Kit.

It was an old picture in sepia tone, but it was her all right. She was younger, maybe thirteen. She stood in a field that was so tall it came up to her waist. Her wavy hair was quite long and she had a wavy fringe. Her body was turned to the side, but her head was turned, her eyes staring straight at the camera. Her lips held a small smile and her arms clutched a bouquet of baby's breath to her chest.

"That's Katherine."

Emmett looked up, slightly startled. He had been so focused on trying to block out all the noises, he had been distracted from the sounds of her footsteps. He hadn't smelled her either. He always held his breath when he was at the hospital.

He was more surprised, when Vanessa came to take a seat next to him. He shuffled over, trying to put a some space between them.

"What?" he said, though he had heard her perfectly.

"That," she pointed to the picture, "That's Katherine. Kit's grandmother."

"What?" Emmett scrutinized the picture more closely, for show. He could see every detail, every line, every crinkle in the picture, but it still looked like Kit. The nose was a little wider and lips thinner, but he had never seen pictures of Kit from when she was younger. She had always talked about how small and short she was.

"I know, right?" Vanessa's eyes lit up with amusement, "They could have been twins, but that's Katherine. Here, I think I have some pictures of Kit."

From her pocket, Vanessa pulled out a black wallet and she flipped it open and went through the main pocket, pulling out some photos.

"Here."

He took them from her outstretched hand. The first picture had definitely been taken when Kit was younger. When she was eight, he had to guess.

She was wearing a dark purple robe and she had her arms thrown around a black girl who had her hands hooked on one of Kit's arms. Their faces were squished together and they smiled so widely that their eyes were closed.

"That's my daughter, Shelly," Vanessa pointed, "She's seventeen, older than Kit. Her godsister. I have another one, Dominic, he's nineteen, but he's such a brat, he hates pictures," still, she chuckled and Emmett could tell Vanessa really loved her children.

He flipped to the next picture. This one was of Kit and a black boy, who looked similar to both Shelly and Vanessa, so Emmett assumed this to be Dominic.

Kit had her arms thrown around Dominic's neck, her body turned to the side, while his was facing the camera. She was standing on one heel, her other leg popped up behind her, giving her enough leverage to kiss Dominic on the cheek. Dominic was glancing to the side at her, his lip between his teeth to hide an obvious smile.

Her hair was so long and she had the same fringe bangs, but she looked a lot older than in the last picture.

She was wearing a cotton dress with pastel pink and white plaid print. The bodice was fitted with a shelf bust fit, nipped waist and free full skirt. She had paired this with four inch mint green t-strap tapered heels with teardrop-shaped cutouts, perforated accents, and a faux-suede finish.

Emmett smiled. It was nice to see Kit dressed in one of her fun and quirky outfits, even if it was only in a photo.

"I miss her _so_ much," he whispered.

"I do, too," Vanessa said, "We're all trying to stay strong. She'll make it."

Emmett tried not to wince. He could hear the awful sounds of the nurses clearing out Kit's chest.

"Yeah," his voice came out shaky, "Now, what's this picture from?"

Shelly and Kit were sitting on a sofa and between them, sat a Caucasian boy with black hair and brown eyes, who had his arms around Kit and Shelly's shoulders.

"That's Anthony," Vanessa pointed to the boy, "He's not in the choir anymore. People in the choir started being mean to him when they found out he was gay. It was horrible. I kicked them out of the choir, but Anthony wouldn't stay. He played the drums for us, too. So talented. They were all so cute, cracked me up," Vanessa's head tilted fondly, "He's a bit older than the girl's. I think he's nineteen, now. I heard he had cancer a couple years ago, isn't that awful?"

"Awful," Emmett repeated.

"I'd show you more pictures, but I bet they're all still packed up in boxes," Vanessa said apologetically, "Usually, there's a ton around the house."

Emmett nodded. He had been up in the attic before and had spotted a number of boxes that had yet to be even opened. Perhaps the Algrens were terrible at unpacking or maybe they never planned to stay for long.

"Anyway, I don't really approve of my goddaughter having an older boyfriend," Vanessa started, in a no nonsense tone, "She wasn't allowed to date anyone until she was sixteen and I guess she picked you."

Emmett frowned. She guessed?

"I love her," he said firmly, "My whole family does."

"Right," Vanessa nodded, "Your father's the doctor taking care of her."

"He's a wonderful doctor," Emmett said defensively.

"Sure, sure," Vanessa mumbled, "It says a lot that you sit here, and come to visit everyday. I appreciate that. And if this gets to be too much for you…" he met her eyes as she gave him a look.

"It's not," he assured her, "I'm fine."

"Mm," Vanessa hummed. It was clear she didn't believe him and he handed her the pictures back, "You seem like a nice kid," she said, placing the pictures back in her wallet, "If I see you around the next five years, I might bother to remember your name."

Emmett's eyes widened, put off by the sudden abrasiveness from Vanessa.

"Yes, ma'am," he mumbled, loud enough for her to hear. He didn't know what else to say. He very well couldn't argue with Kit's godmother. Despite his appearance, he was not some disrespectful meathead. At least, not all the time.

"If you'll excuse me," he said, standing up, "I need to use the restroom."

He left the room before she could respond. Did Vanessa really think he could be scared off so easily? Too much for him or not, Kit was his mate and he would never leave her. She was in more danger than just medically.

Victoria was still out there. Somewhere. With Kit as vulnerable as she was, the redhead could attack at any moment. She could drain Kit dry and kill Everly all in the same second.

Alice was doing her best to keep an eye on Victoria's future, but for obvious reasons, she was a little distracted and it was harder for her to see. They were all too indecisive, leaving all their futures in knots.

* * *

"Do we need to talk?"

Rosalie trailed her hands down her sides, twisting this way and that to admire herself in her mirror. She really was beautiful and she loved staring at herself.

She couldn't believe that Edward was attracted to someone as irritating and awkward as Bella Swan. Her facial structure was all sorts of off, and her hair was so plain.

But Rosalie's facial structure was perfect and her hair was like spun gold. How Edward couldn't see that still blew her mind, and pissed her off.

Not that she was attracted to him, but it was the principal. For awhile, she had been convinced that he was into men…

"You're back from the hospital, early," she finally answered Esme who had walked further into the room.

"And you haven't been at all," Esme said gently, taking a seat on Rosalie's plush bed.

"Why would I go?" Rosalie asked simply. She kept her eyes on her reflection and could see Esme's as well, "What would I do there?"

"Talk to Kit," Esme suggested, "I'm sure she'd like to hear your voice. You could tell her about your day."

Rosalie scoffed. Esme—she was such a mom. She never wanted any of them to be fighting and wanted to remain one big, happy, lovey-dovey family.

"My voice _is_ lovely," Rosalie agreed, "But I have nothing to say to her."

She had made her feelings for Kit abundantly clear and made all attempts to ignore the brunette.

"I would think you'd try extra hard to get along with, Kit," Esme said softly, "Make amends. She's Emmett's mate."

Hearing Emmett's name caused Rosalie's eyes to soften, "I warned him about this. I said humans were too fragile and it's his fault for not listening to me. Anyway, it doesn't matter…he hates me," her voice broke into a whisper.

She blinked at the dry feeling in her eyes, keeping her face schooled in a straight face. After Emmett had stormed out of the house, Esme had stepped forward to comfort her, but Rosalie had darted to the kitchen, destroyed a few things, then rushed to her room and threw herself under her bed covers.

"Emmett and I were supposed to travel around Africa, during the summer," she complained, "For three months," she whirled on Esme, suddenly furious, "How could you let him shout at me like that!?"

She searched Esme's matching eyes, waiting impatiently for her answer.

"Sweetheart," Esme breathed, "You love Emmett very much, yes? How would you react if someone spoke to him—treated him—the way that you did Kit?"

"So, this is all my fault!?" Rosalie felt a growl rise in her chest, her body trembling with the urge to release it.

"I didn't say that," Esme said coolly, "However, I do think that you need to take some responsibility. You weren't very kind to Kit, I've scolded you many times for calling her names and hurting her feelings. And maybe, this will help you reflect and you can treat Kit and Bella with more kindness in the future."

Rosalie didn't give that much thought and rolled her eyes dramatically. Nothing she said to Kit, had been a lie. She did cause problems for Rosalie's family, they did spend too much time talking about Kit, Jasper was affected by Kit's mood swings and Emmett was constantly worried about her.

"You made her cry…"

"Ugh!" Rosalie scoffed, "I did not. The mortal was blubbering about something else."

"Because she couldn't take it anymore," there was a hard frown in Esme's voice, "Rosalie Lillian Hale. Do you have no compassion? You're better than this. I know exactly how Kit felt, so does your father. Were we blubbering?"

"No!" Rosalie whirled around, "No, of course not. Esme, you know that…"

If there could only be one thing that she and Esme had in common, then it would be their desires to be mothers and have children. Esme made due with Rosalie and her siblings, but Rosalie was sure her mother still longed. She sure did.

"Then, why was Kit?" Esme tilted her head, "I would think that her love for Emmett and the happiness she brings him would be enough for you. She's a part of this family, Rose. I love her."

Rosalie's shoulders slumped when Esme blinked furiously, a sign that her species would cry in their own way.

It was a very real possibility that Kit might not pull through. Apparently, pneumonia was a very serious human ailment even for the healthiest of mortals.

"What if Emmett won't listen to me?" she mumbled, "He said he hated me."

She couldn't live if Emmett hated her and she didn't know what she would do if he never spoke to her again. Friday, in the heat of things, she had considered running away. There was always Denali, with her cousins, but sometimes, Tanya and her sisters got on Rosalie's nerves.

"He was angry," Esme assured her, "But I'm sure he's started to forgive you. After what you did at school."

There it was.

Rosalie grimaced. She was the spokesperson when it came to her family interacting with the humans. She was completely against it unless it became necessary for them to blend in. How many times had she almost ripped Edward's head off before he started dating Bella, and after?

"That was really nice of you," Esme said sincerely, "You made a scene like that, all for a girl that you can't stand?"

"I've never cared for Lauren or any of her friends," Rosalie stated. Her tone was clipped, making it clear that she was done with this conversation. She hadn't wanted to have it in the first place.

Luckily, Esme got the hint and changed the topic, "Carlisle and I spoke with Alice about what would be best, in terms of us attending the candlelight vigil. Alice was able to see and she says we'll be safe either way. Carlisle agreed. I think we should all stay home for the evening. As a family."

Family. Both Carlisle and Esme didn't care for the word coven when referring to them as a whole.

"Okay," Rosalie said.

"Okay," Esme stood in one fluid motion, then walked at a human pace, opening up her arm, "Come here."

Rosalie exhaled softly, but went into Esme's arms.

"I love you," Esme murmured, "You know that you have a very special place in my heart."

Rosalie nodded. She was Esme and Carlisle's first daughter. Esme had always wanted a daughter.

"I love you, too," and Rosalie pulled back and kissed Esme's cheek.


	41. And The Walls Kept Tumbling Down

**Wednesday (Day Thirteen):**

"Harassment is a misdemeanor. These are first-time offenders, minors, with squeaky clean records and good backgrounds. Most likely, they'll get fined, a slap on the wrist, possibly some therapy and you'll get a restraining order. But, if we play our cards right, I bet we could get the DA to chalk it up to attempted murder, harassment, and assault. Those are misdemeanor's _and_ felony offenses. They could get the maximum years in prison, with or without probation, and be forced to pay a very high restitution. That could cover medical bills, therapy, whatever you need it to."

Blake stared blankly at the man sitting across from him in the police station.

Jason Jenks was was short and balding. A middle-aged American, paunchy, probably at least fifty-five, and wearing expensive clothing.

He had shown up from his office in Seattle, strutting through the station to shake Blake's hand in a firm grip.

Apparently this, Jason Jenks, fellow was now their lawyer as "a favor to Mr. Jasper and his family."

What did Jasper need with a lawyer? Blake didn't really ask this. For after mentioning Jasper's name, Jason trembled and blanched to a sickly paste color, sweat beading on his forehead which he wiped away with a white handkerchief.

"I worked with Jasper when he and his…twin were in the foster system," Jason had explained when Blake had awkwardly and quietly inquired if Jasper was some kind of drug dealer or criminal, "I helped find their aunt, Esme, if I am correct. Good…good kids. C-cute."

Blake had nodded very slowly and the two had left it at that, getting down to business and back to the matter at hand.

"Prison?" Blake mumbled, unable to hide his shock, "Like, _adult_ prison? With rapists and murderers and all those people?"

"It'll be a women's prison, probably," Jason said, waving off Blake's question, "But it's all kinds of people. And who knows? They might be murderers."

Blake visibly bristled and pushed up his glasses. How dare this random man, show up out of the blue, then say something so crass.

"Look," he fixed Jason with a hard glare, "I don't know what you think this is, but my daughter isn't going to be your pawn, so that you can get some title or have the best case ever, or whatever crap you're trying to pull here."

Jason fixed him with a very hard look as if Blake had been the one to say something offensive.

"I thought you wanted justice?" Jason gritted out, "You said you wanted these girls to be punish—

"Not in prison!" Blake interrupted harshly, "I don't want justice like that—Kit would not want justice like that. I can't—I know my daughter. I do," he said firmly, "And she wouldn't want those girls to rot away in prison. She wouldn't be able to live with herself."

He shook his head at himself. Personally, he was so angry, he wouldn't mind seeing those girls be hauled away in orange jumpsuits, but Kit would mind. She and Katie had once been friends. Those girls were someone's daughters and maybe they had little sisters of their own.

Kit wouldn't be able to sleep at night, wondering what was happening at that very moment to those girls in an adult woman's prison.

"I know my daughter," he repeated with much more confidence, "No attempted murder charge."

Jason didn't look like a happy man, and for a moment, Blake thought he'd pack up his briefcase and walk right out of the room.

"Fine," Jason ground out, "But we can use that charge as leverage. For now, we'll stick with the harassment and the assault, all right?"

Blake nodded, relaxing some.

"Now, you gave Charlie Swan and his officers permission to look through Kit's phone and her computer?" Jason looked at Blake expectantly and he nodded, "Good. If they gather enough evidence, they'll have probable cause to make an arrest, which shouldn't be too big of a show. I doubt these girls want to go public anymore than you do."

Blake nodded again, feeling it was appropriate to do so.

"Now, many states punish first-time harassment offenses as misdemeanors, but given your daughter's current circumstances, it could be punished as a felony. For now, we need to let the police do their job and if the girls are brought in, we'll develop a clearer plan. We'll get back to that. But let's talk about the school. Do you still want to file a lawsuit?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Well," Jason pulled on his jacket, looking cocky, "This should be easy. Small school districts tend to be underfunded and that will work in our favor. So, statistically, few lawsuits ever go through the full range of procedures and all the way to trial. Most cases are settled by mutual agreement between the parties. You may not even have to file a lawsuit, but if you do, it can be settled way before trial is even brought into the picture."

"Really!?" this was a huge relief to Blake and he relaxed visibly, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"First things first," Jason began to root through his briefcase and Blake was starting to think, this man wasn't a complete wackadoo, "Let's go over your administrative complaint."

* * *

Jessica bit her lip, glancing over her shoulder. Instead of sitting at her accustomed table, she, Ashley and Katie had picked a different one. Angela was still being a bitch, but besides all that, they needed to talk to Lauren without listening ears.

"So, like, what did you tell her?" Ashley asked and Jessica shrugged.

"I just, like, said, ' _Hey, we're gonna be sitting somewhere else today, so that we can talk without anyone listening_ ' and she said: ' _Okay_.'"

"You're gonna tell her, then?" Katie asked.

"What!?" Jessica hissed, leaning forward, "Are you on crack!? No! Why do I have to tell her?"

"You're her best friend!" Ashley reminded, "Her second-in-command. You were friends with her _way_ before we were," she gestured to herself and Katie.

"But it's Katie's fault," Jessica argued, "If she hadn't gone over to Bella, Rosalie wouldn't have flipped and the rumors wouldn't have started."

"Whatever," Katie snapped and Jessica's eyebrows rose, "It is not my fault! The rumors were there! I've heard your name more than mine and Ashley's."

"You have not!" Jessica hissed, "You are _such_ a liar," this is why she couldn't stand sophomores.

"Am not!"

"Okay, you guys, shut up," Ashley demanded, "Lauren just came in. Oh, God, is she coming over now?"

Jessica felt her heart began to race, but she shook her head and soothed their fears, "No. She buys. So, we still have some time and I am not telling her."

"Well, I'm not," Ashley leaned back in her chair, adamant.

"Neither am I," Katie copied the motion and Jessica glared at the both of them.

"You guys are such—

"Hey."

Startled, Jessica whipped her head around, just as Lauren placed her tray on the table, smiling at them.

"Um, hey," Jessica mumbled.

"Jessica has something to tell you," Ashley blurted.

Jessica couldn't pretend that she was surprised. In fact, if she hadn't just been thrown under the bus, she might have been proud of Ashley.

She tried to school her facial expression into one that looked sheepish as Lauren's eyes swept over all of them.

They sat knee deep in silence, almost as if the other voices in the lunchroom didn't exist and Jessica was quick to take a large bite of her apple, the bite almost too big to fit in her mouth. She was sure she looked ridiculous chewing, but it bought her time to think of what to say.

"What's going on?" Lauren asked, her tone sharp and skeptical, "You guys know I don't like being the last to find out about things," she rested her arms on the table, "C'mon, Jess, spill!"

It was hard to swallow her apple and Jessica took a drink from her water bottle, helping it go down. When she was finished, she licked her lips and cleared her throat.

"Um…" she glanced at Katie and Ashley for help, but neither said anything, "So, like, there's kind of a rumor."

"About us," Ashley mumbled.

Lauren's eyebrows rose and it looked like she wanted to laugh.

"Okaaay," she drawled out, "And…? We're popular. When aren't people talking about us?"

"No, Laur, you don't get it," Jessica said and leaned closer to Lauren, "Rosalie's temper tantrum seriously got people talking. I mean, people were talking before, but now, it's, like, _blown up_. _Everyone's_ talking about it."

Lauren's lips became a thin line and Jessica quickly glanced at Katie and Ashley again as Lauren looked down at her tray, then back up. She was not happy.

"Talking. About. What?" Lauren gritted out.

Katie sighed and Jessica hoped that meant the redhead would say something, but she didn't. Ugh. Another reason why she hated Sophomores. They were useless.

"Um," Jessica started, "Soooo, a bunch of people are saying…that we're the ones to blame for Kit's suicide and that you're kind of the ring-leader. You started it."

Lauren's eyes darted around and then she brought her hand up to brush away some invisible hair.

"Wait, who the hell is saying this!?" she demanded, "I didn't start shit. Katie's the one who—

Katie chose then to interrupt, "Everyone's saying it," she sighed again, "There are even people saying that they've seen you push Kit in the halls and stuff, and that you and Jess harass her during gym class."

That was news to Jessica and suddenly, she was feeling more nervous than before. She was sort of okay with throwing Lauren under the bus, but not herself.

"That's obviously not true," she interjected, "It's a stupid, made up—

"Everyone," Katie's voice had rose and she looked straight at Lauren, "Is saying that the harassment—all of the harassment and the messing around with her—that's what caused her to do what she did," she looked at Jessica next.

"Okay, well, it sounds like you're blaming me and Jess for everything," Lauren snapped.

"I'm not blaming you—

"I didn't see you look at Ashley," Jessica hissed. She glared at Lauren, "All of this was _your_ idea! You wanted to mess with her!"

"You did!" Lauren countered, "Katie gave us Kit's number. If it wasn't for her—

"You asked for it!" Katie cried. Jessica hurriedly hushed her and Katie lowered her voice, "I never wanted to mess with her in the first place."

"But you did!" Lauren slammed her hand on the table, "You're all trying to blame me—

"I'm not blaming you!" Jessica insisted, "You're my best friend, why would I blame you!?"

"We're just saying," Ashley said, "That if everyone is talking about it like this, then it's going to get back to the teachers and then to Principal Greene. People are going to start asking questions."

"We all did this," Lauren snapped, "You all texted Kit, you all pushed her and called her names! We were not harassing her, we were messing around with her. It is not my fault if she can't take a—

"You set this whole thing up," Katie interrupted, "You said this wasn't—

"You gave us all her number and now you want to pretend that you and Kit are BFF—

"Oh, fuck you, Lauren!" Katie exclaimed. She stood up so fast, her chair was knocked over in her haste to storm out of the room.

"Thank you," Lauren didn't keep her voice down, "Thanks a lot, guys. I was having a great day, but you all want to start this stupid _bullshit_ , thanks a fucking lot."

Jessica shook her head, "Lauren, we're just trying to help."

"Yeah, right," Lauren snatched up her tray to dump, "You started all this pointless drama and now everyone is staring at us! Thanks! Seriously, thanks!"

She stormed off, eyes following her the entire way.

Jessica sighed heavily and looked at Ashley, "I didn't even do anything," she whined.

"She doesn't know how serious this is," Ashley sunk down in her chair, "We're not gonna get in trouble are we?"

"No one's gonna get in trouble," Jessica grumbled, "Jeez, I keep telling you that!"

"Yeah, but people are gonna keep talking and it'll come back to us," Ashley said, "Just like last time. Remember, we got called to the principal's office?"

Jessica shrugged, "So, what are we supposed to do?"

Ashley mimicked her shrug, "Katie is right. People are talking about you, too. And you _were_ really mean to Kit during gym class."

"Are you being serious right now?" Jessica breathed, "How many balls of paper did you throw at her? How many pencils?"

"Um," Ashley interrupted, "You're supposed to be Lauren's best friend. Everyone knows it. You're her girl, her partner in crime. And you threatened to kick Kit's ass."

Jessica gnawed on her lip. Lauren was her best friend. Kind of. Sometimes, the blonde got on her nerves and she didn't understand how Lauren was more popular than her. Personally, Jessica thought she was prettier.

"I'm not about to get in trouble for stuff that _she_ did," Jessica decided, " _She_ wanted to mess with Kit, _she_ tripped Kit when she went to class, _she_ set up the email account, _she_ called Kit fat all the time, _she_ gave Kit the pills, _she_ made us wait for Kit before school so that we could mess with her, and _she's_ the one that made fun of Kit's dead grandma."

Ashley nodded and hummed in agreement, but it didn't ease Jessica's nerves like she thought it would.

"People keep coming up to me," Ashley mumbled, brushing dark hair from her face, "And they ask if I really did bad things to Kit. You know, bully her."

"Me too," Jessica admitted. She shook her head quickly, "But we didn't! When I was a kid, my dad always told me to fight back if someone pushed you around! It's not our fault that she decided to stand there and not do anything."

The words sounded weak to her own ears and she picked at her lunch.

"This is serious," Ashley said. She sounded scared, "If this gets back to my parents, they'll kill me."

"We'll be pariahs," Jessica agreed. She felt a little sick, "We've always lived here, everyone knows us. No one's going to believe any of this crap. I mean, Kit's in a coma. She can't exactly blame us."

"True," Ashley picked up an apple slice and bit into it, "Just…stay cool and don't say anything."

Jessica rolled her eyes, "Obviously."

With that settled, they lapsed into silence and Jessica picked up her sandwich to take a bite. It felt like she had swallowed a rock.

* * *

"Thank you, Vanessa," Blake whispered, outside of Kit's hospital room, "This really means a lot."

"Quit saying that," Vanessa made a face, speaking equally as quiet, "I'm her godmother. This is what I'm here for."

Finally, after thirteen days, Everly was agreeing to go home for the night to be with Indigo, and Vanessa had easily agreed to stay overnight and sit with Kit.

She didn't mind. She had been pestering Everly to go home and was glad the blonde was doing just that. She could picture Indigo's happy face when Blake and Everly arrived to pick her up from her friend's house.

"She knows that Kit would be upset if Everly wasn't with Indigo," Vanessa kept her voice tender, "Kit hates it when people fuss over her. Even if it's her own parents."

"Yes…" Blake sighed, folding his arms across his chest and Vanessa eyed him.

He looked odd and not odd in his usual way or odd in his grief-stricken way. Odd, like…odd.

"What?" Vanessa asked, "Why do you look like that?"

Blake shook his head, "I don't know. I mean," he looked behind him and Vanessa took a step closer when he lowered his voice, "I had a meeting with a lawyer this morning. It's happening. The police have started their investigation into the bullying and we're filing a lawsuit against the school. I faxed a letter, withdrawing Kit from school. Indi might have to finish out the year at home, but it's almost over, anyway."

Vanessa's eyes widened, but she nodded slowly. She didn't know much about law or lawsuits, but suing a whole school district sounded like quite the pickle.

"We're gonna have to move," Blake said, before she could say anything, "I feel like we'll all be pariahs, everyone will hate us. I'm still raising my family and that won't be good, right?"

Vanessa felt like the question was rhetorical, but answered anyway, "Right. So, y'all comin' home, then?"

She didn't bother to keep the hopeful note out of her voice. She wanted them home. She missed Kit and Indigo terribly and she missed having Kit in her choir. They needed her and Shelly needed her godsister. Vanessa was sure that Kit would be more than happy to go back to her old violin teacher and she would be back with Katherine.

They could all go back to normal and pretend like the past few months had never happened. Maybe the past two years.

"…I want to," Blake said, still speaking quietly, "But, it's big possibility, that we might have to stay here."

Vanesa had to hold her breath to keep from yelling. After a moment, she let it go.

"What!?" she hissed, "Have you lost your mind!? You just said that everyone will hate you!"

"I think we're gonna have to stay here," Blake sounded so sure of himself, "Hampton was too expensive, especially since we were right near the beach. We moved here for a reason and our finances aren't getting better anytime soon. In fact, they're going to get worse."

Vanessa blinked once, twice, three times, then glanced into Kit's hospital room. Everly was still standing over Kit, saying her goodbye.

"We're going to have to say here," Blake's tone was final and he didn't look happy about it, "Kit…she's going to need help when she wakes up and—

Vanessa interrupted him, "You think the best place to get that is here? The place that caused this?"

"I don't think it's best to move her as soon as she wakes up," Blake corrected, "Indigo has a life here. She's comfortable and has friends and a life. Everly's and my careers are getting to the point where we can live…kind of. We didn't get that in Hampton."

There was something else that Blake wasn't saying, but Vanessa decided not to push him on it.

"Y'all gonna stay in that house?" she asked disbelievingly.

"No," Blake shook his head, "When Kit went to meet Emmett's family, I asked her the address and she couldn't tell me. They don't live in town. It's out beyond Forks and I think that's where we'll go. It's more private, no one will bother us. Esme's an architect, you know?"

No, Vanessa didn't know, but it seemed like that family had every connection and every career under the sun.

"It's not for sure," Blake said quickly, "I haven't actually looked for a house. It's just a plan if we need it. Everly says that we can talk about going back home when things settle down and we get our finances settled and get these hospital bills out of the way. I think that will be awhile."

Vanessa nodded. She was sad about it, but she understood. Having the Algrens back home, wasn't worth putting them into debt and having them homeless.

"Plus, Carlisle's a great doctor," Blake added, "And I want him to continue treating her. He's been her only doctor since coming here. She likes him, I like him," he shrugged, "I don't think he'll be able to see her if we move to Port Angeles or anywhere else."

"Well," she sighed and crossed her own arms, "I'll support you, either way."

"Thanks," Blake said and straightened his posture when Everly left Kit's bedside, going to meet her at the door.

"Guess, it's my shift," Vanessa went back into the hospital room to take Everly's place at Kit's bedside.

"If anything happens, y-you'll c-call us, r-right?" Everly sniffled, trying to stop her tears.

"As soon as," Vanessa assured her, "You have nothing to worry about. Just go home, be with your baby and get some rest. I bet a shower will feel amazing."

"Yes," Blake jumped in to agree, "And you'll feel a lot better, which means you can take better care of Kit."

"Right," Vanessa nodded, settling in the chair closest to Kit's bed, "Take some time, sleep in, eat a good breakfast, all that good stuff. You know Kit worries about you."

"I know," Everly sounded so guilty, that Vanessa felt bad, "Take care of her."

"I will. Honey, it's only one night," Vanessa reminded, "And make sure you talk to Indigo. She wants to come and see Kit."

"We will," Blake said, "Goodnight."

"Night."

Vanessa watched Blake lead Everly away and she could see his mouth moving, probably encouraging her to keep walking, that Kit would be fine. Everly kept looking back.

Vanessa looked at Kit. She looked so much like Katherine, it was crazy. There was by all odds some Everly in her facial structure, but Vanessa saw only Katherine.

Sighing a little, she felt her eyes grow wet and took Kit's hand.

"It's just you and me, tonight, baby girl."

.

.

.

.

Vanessa softly hummed 'Hallelujah' by Lenord Cohen, while she stroked Kit's hand.

It had been Katherine's favorite song and it was Kit's. It was the song she had sung when Vanessa had auditioned her for the church choir. She had been perfect and blew them all away.

 _Flashback:_

 _Hampton, New Hampshire, 1997:_

 _"Okay, everyone, okay!" Vanessa clapped her hands loudly, getting the attention of the choir, "Everyone hush, now, thank you!"_

 _The choir had settled and Vanessa was pleased to see that Shelly had actually clamped her mouth shut, her lips pursed and hands folded in front of her._

 _Dominic, however, looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here and was gently rocking from side to side._

 _"I have an announcement!" Vanessa started excitedly, "We have a new member joining our family."_

 _It was Rebecca who frowned. A strawberry blonde white girl who was eighteen and had an irritating mother that could never shut her mouth. Rebecca, had unfortunately, inherited this._

 _"A new member?" she questioned, "You didn't audition anyone."_

 _Technically, a person auditioned with the choir. The person in question had a week to practice a church appropriate song on their own, while the choir rehearsed the same song in their spare time and the choir would sing backup while said person sang solo._

 _Vanessa did not do that with Kit. Not even close._

 _"I did audition someone," she told Rebecca, "Just on my own time. I don't want to hear nothin' about it. This person is wonderful and she's in the choir, now."_

 _Before anyone could say anything else, Vanessa turned her head and yelled, "Come in, baby girl!"_

 _From the backroom, Katherine appeared first. She was another woman that Vanessa found immensely irritating, but she loved her to death. This week, it was Katherine's turn to pay for lunch and Vanessa was looking forward to it._

 _Katherine was a tall woman, standing a tall 5'7". She had tan, white skin and long, light cocoa hair with slight waves at the ends, pulled back into a long ponytail by a black scrunchie. The only signs of aging, was that her face was full of laugh lines and she had grass green eyes that were always alight with happiness._

 _Vanessa grinned, holding out a hand and when Katherine got close enough, Vanessa took the hand of the small girl Katherine was toting beside her and brought the child to stand right in front of her, placing her hands on her small shoulders while Katherine went to take her place at the church organ._

 _"Everyone," Vanessa announced happily, "This is Kit! She's Blake and Everly's little girl. Katherine's granddaughter and my goddaughter!"_

 _Kit was a tiny little thing for an eight year old child. She was barely 4'0" and was skinny. She had long, dark chocolate hair that was very wavy and went all the way down to her lower back. She had forehead bangs and light freckles dotted across her nose. Like her grandmother, Kit had green eyes, but hers were a true emerald green and the size of moons, way too big for her round-shaped face._

 _She wore a red, black and green classic plaid dress over a white shirt. On her feet, were ankle-length white, lace ruffle socks and patent Mary Jane heels._

 _Vanessa peered down at Kit and gave her a gentle shake, "Are you being shy? Say hello."_

 _She felt Kit shift underneath her hands and in a high-pitched voice, she squeaked out, "Hi…"_

 _"Awww," some people in the choir crooned._

 _"Ain't she a peach?" Vanessa gushed, "Why don't wee see how you measure up to my little Shelly?" she took a hand off of Kit's shoulder and gestured for Shelly to come forward, "C'mere, baby."_

 _Shelly eagerly bounced forward. Vanessa's daughter was tall for her nine-year-old age, standing at 4'3", but it worked to her advantage when she went to her gymnastics class. She was the best on the balance beam._

 _Shelly's curly hair was pulled into two afro puffs, held with sparkly pink barrettes. Her cute outfit was covered by her dark purple church robe and her bright hazel eyes lit up with excitement._

 _"Kit, you're gonna have to take off your shoes," Vanessa said. She was so excited. Shelly was the youngest in the church and didn't have anyone to play with. Since she was in the choir, she didn't ever hang out with the other kids and Vanessa was hoping that she would get along with her godsister. Vanessa had always wanted them to grow up together._

 _"Now," she said, when Kit had taken her shoes off, "Stand back to back."_

 _She gently pushed them together until their backs touched and when Kit lowered her head, Vanessa lifted it to the correct position._

 _"I'm taller, I'm taller!" Shelly boasted loudly, bouncing on her feet, "Haha, I'm taller!"_

 _Kit's nose scrunched up and she tilted her head back, "You're older!" she squeaked, "Of course you're gonna be taller! It doesn't count!"_

 _"It counts!" Shelly argued._

 _"Barely!"_

 _"All right, you two," Vanessa laughed, "Come on, give each other a hug. We have some work to do. Shelly, hug your godsister."_

 _Immediately, Shelly threw her arms around Kit and hugged her tightly, going as far to lift her up off the ground._

 _"Hey!" Kit cried, though she was giggling._

 _"Oh my gosh, she's so cute," someone commented, "Look how little she is."_

 _"Now, Kit, you're going to be standing right next to, Shelly," Vanessa said, getting back to business, "Shelly, go take her."_

 _She pushed on Kit's back and she watched fondly as her two girls walked to their places hand-in-hand._

 _End Flashback:_

"Y'all were all so dang cute," Vanessa told Kit. She sighed, "And I've missed you very much. You know, Shelly told me that Anthony's been stoppin' by. She asked him to come. He keeps asking about you and he misses you. Y'all were the Three Musketeers and I just wanted to smack you all the time."

She began to rub her thumb over the back of Kit's hand. Anthony, Kit and Shelly were always up to something. They were always giggling and telling secrets and Vanessa knew that some of their conversations had been far from church appropriate.

"They're praying for you," she continued, "Everyday."

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

"Excuse me?" there was a light tap at the door and Vanessa turned her head towards the door.

It was Lina and Vanessa made a move to stand up, "Do I need to step out?"

"No, no," Lina quickly waved a hand, "Oh, good, they brought you a cot to sleep on. The mother never sleeps," Vanessa arched an eyebrow, but Lina continued, "Um, but my shift is over and Addison going to be taking over."

Vanessa had no idea who Addison was. She had never met Kit's night nurses.

"Okay," she said, "Thank you."

"But I did want to tell you," Lina said quickly as Vanessa retook her seat, "Mr. Algren's here."

"He is?" Vanessa frowned and looked at her watch. It would be midnight soon, "All right. Well, thank you."

"No problem," Lina smiled, "Night night."

"Goodnight," Vanessa mumbled, frowning.

She was irritated. Why was Blake here? Had he snuck out of the house while his wife and child were sleeping? She was definitely going to let him have it. She knew that he wanted to be with Kit, but it wasn't right for him to leave Everly. What if she woke up and panicked?

"You're daddy is such a fool," she told Kit, rolling her eyes, "Seriously, what am I gonna do with your parents? Huh?"

She forced out a strained chortle, staring at Kit's closed eyes. She reached out and touched Kit's forehead. She still felt way too warm. Was it possible to ask the nurses for something to help cool Kit down?

When she heard footsteps approach the room, she narrowed her eyes. She couldn't even look at Blake, she was so disappointed. She understood that Kit was sick, but Indigo was just as important.

"Go home, Blake," she told him, when he hovered in the doorway, "It's late, I'm tired and was about to go to bed, myself. Kit's fine. There's been no change."

"Is that a good thing?"

Vanessa jumped so hard that she jostled Kit who's hand she was still holding. She hurriedly let go, worried that she had messed up the tubes, but nothing beeped and no nurses came rushing in.

Shaky on her feet, she stood from her chair and placed herself in front of Kit, holding her arm out to shield her goddaughter from who had spoken.

Because this man was not Blake Algren.

No, this man was older than Blake and taller by three inches, standing at 6'1." His medium-length hair was dark brown and slicked back with a low fade and a tapered neckline. Very preppy compared to Blake's shaggy waves that he just let go wild. There was no stubble on this man's chin and his gun-metal blue eyes looked cold and calculating. Blake's eyes were a clear, bright blue color. This man's beige skin was perfectly tan and he wore a crisp gray suit, his black shoes perfectly shined.

However, she could see how someone could think it was Blake.

"Who are you!?" she demanded.

' _Are all these people idiots_!?' she thought, ' _Gosh_ , _what is_ _ **wrong**_ _with this town_!?'

"Marcus," he stepped further into the room, "Or Mark. I was invited here."

"The heck you were," she challenged, "Not by me and not by the parents. You need to leave before I scream this hospital down and have you arrested."

"Go ahead," Mark shrugged, "However, I was invited here. By her," and he nodded at Kit, still motionless in her hospital bed.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This chapter has been reposted. For those who saw the note, you know what's going on.**

 **For those who didn't see the note or are new to my story...long story short: When editing/cleaning up my story, I accidentally reposted chapter one in place of this chapter and it was left up for several hours before I took notice and was able to properly fix it. So, I decided to take it down and repost, which I have obviously done if you are currently reading this note.**

 **Hopefully, this will not happen again and this story will continue on normally. Well, actually, I plan to post the next chapter a little earlier because I feel really bad for what I put my readers through. A couple people, I know, were almost done reading this chapter, when all of a sudden, it disappeared and chapter one was there.**

 **So, expect another chapter in the next few days, then my normal upload schedule will continue!**

 **Thank you,**

 **FictionChic**


	42. What's Happening Brother?

**Thursday (Day Fourteen):**

" _Everly_ … _Everly_ … _Everly_ …"

Everly shifted in her sleep, pulling the blankets further over herself. She was so comfortable and so warm and couldn't remember the last time she had a proper sleep. She felt like a cinnamon bun.

" _Everly_ …. _Everly_ … _Everly Camille Algren_. _Get_. _Up_. _Now_!"

At the violent shaking, Everly cried out and shot out of bed, struggling against her attacker, kicking her legs and swinging her arms. Not again…

" _No_ , _no_! _Everly_ , _Everly_ , _stop_ , _it's me_! _It's Vanessa_! _It's Vanessa_!"

Hearing her friend's voice, Everly stopped struggling as Vanessa seized her wrists. Her heart was pounding against her chest and she could feel herself shaking all over as her breath came out in pants.

She blinked furiously as Vanessa's face came into her blurry vision and she blinked a few times to clear the sleepy haze.

"I'm sorry!" Vanessa said, releasing Everly's wrists, holding her hands out and showing her palms, "I forgot. Are you okay?"

"Oh, gosh," one hand went to Everly's heart and the other went to rub her eyes, "Um, yes," she breathed, "Yes, yes, I'm fin—wait!"

More panic seized her and her head whipped around to her alarm clock. It was 10:30AM. Vanessa was here—here in her bedroom and not in the hospital.

"Wait!" she turned back to Vanessa and started to cry, "Why are you here!? Oh—no, what—

"No, don't start!" Vanessa cut her off, "Listen, Kit's fine. Didn't I say I would call you? Look, we have a—

"Then, why are you here!?" Everly interrupted, looking around frantically. Indigo was no longer beside her and neither was Blake. She couldn't hear the shower running, either.

"Esme is with her," Vanessa snapped, "Indi's at school. Where's Bl—

"You left her!?" Everly yelled. She wiped away tears and tossed aside her blankets, rolling out of bed, "How could you do that!? You were supposed to _stay_!" she ran to her dresser and yanked the first one open, "I should have stayed, I knew it, I knew—

She gasped when Vanessa grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Hard. Knocking the breath out of her and stopping her tirade.

"Shut up!" Vanessa snapped and Everly wrapped her hands around Vanessa's wrists to steady herself, "Kit is _fine_. Esme is with her and it's not like she hasn't been alone with Kit before."

"That's not the point!" Everly growled back and she felt like she was going to cry again. She liked Esme and Everly thought that they got along really well, but it was the principal. Vanessa had promised to stay until she or Blake came back.

"No, listen to me, Everly, I mean it!" Vanessa said firmly, "Look at me. Now, I'm being serious!"

' _So am I_ ,' Everly thought, but held her tongue.

"What?" she demanded bitterly, continuing to eye her dresser. She had never been able to think this straight before and her head didn't hurt as badly.

"Where's Blake?" Vanessa asked, "Something's come up."

Everly glanced at her bedroom door, "I don't know. I'm assuming he's…" she shrugged, "At work or making breakfast. I've been sleeping. Why?"

Vanessa shook her again, but much more lightly, "No, I need to know where Blake is. Work or making breakfast!?"

"Um, breakfast?" Everly guessed. She could feel a headache coming on, "I really need to go to the hospit—ahh!"

Vanessa had yanked on her arm and was dragging her down the hall, towards the stairs.

"Be quiet and don't say anything," Vanessa warned, "Don't freak out and just—I'll stall Blake."

Everly sighed at her friend's odd request. She was still so tired. Indigo had been so happy when she had gone to Melody's front door. Upon seeing her mother, Indigo had cried, Everly had cried and Blake got a little teary.

Everly had missed Indigo very much, even if it didn't come across that way. That night, Indigo had slept between both her parents and seemed in much better spirits.

After much begging, pleading and a borderline temper tantrum, she had agreed to take Indigo to the hospital, but she would have to wait until Friday, after school. Everly didn't want to take Indigo on another weekday and have her get upset at school. At least, over the weekend she would have time to ask questions and come to terms with what she saw.

Everly would have to explain to Indigo that it might be scary and that she didn't have to go in if she didn't want to. Making Kit a card would be just as good as Indigo going into the room.

"Vanessa," she frowned, "I really don't have time for…for…"

She trailed off slowly, her mouth dropping open as she stepped off the last step, her eyes widening so big, it was painful.

"Wha—what—how did—I don't—

Marcus Algren smiled warmly at her and Everly had to grasp Vanessa's shoulder to keep from falling over.

She stared at Marcus open mouthed. Her brain formulated no thoughts other than to register that she was shocked and too tired to deal with this. It was too much for her and she forced her mouth closed, looking at the floor, then up at Vanessa.

"How could you?" she whispered. Deja vu hit her and she recalled Blake whispering the same thing to her.

Vanessa's eyes widened, "No, no! I-I didn't—

"I showed up at the hospital on my own accord," Mark interrupted smoothly, "I can explain everything—

Everly didn't listen and walked right past Marcus and Vaneesa to go into the kitchen, the latter's whispered protests.

Sure, she had been the one to suggest that Blake call his family, but that had only been a couple of days ago and Blake hadn't wanted that. As his wife, she respected his decision and could see how uncomfortable it made him. So, she had dropped the subject.

There was a reason Blake didn't talk to his family anymore.

"Blake," she said and he turned from his place at the stove, surprised.

"Darling!" he went to hug her good morning, "What are you doing up? I wanted you to sleep in."

She smiled grimly, "I did. It's almost eleven."

"Yes, but I wanted you to sleep in _more_ ," Blake clarified, "I really wanted you to rest and I was going to bring you breakfast."

"How sweet," Everly drawled, "Thank you."

"Sit down," Blake urged, kissing her temple, "Try to relax for a little bit. Then, we can go to the hospital, okay?"

But Everly remained where she was standing, "Your brother is here."

Blake wasn't looking at her, but setting silverware on the table when she said this.

"I don't know what that means."

Everly sighed softly, "Right now, I mean. I swear, I didn't call him. Marcus is here. In the living room with Vanessa."

She figured it best just to tell him. It was better than Blake walking out into the living room with no warning. She wanted to be the one to tell him. Alone. And she wanted him to know that she would never betray him like that. She had not called Marcus.

The silverware in Blake's hand fell, clattering loudly against the floor. The sound made Everly wince.

"What?" he whispered. His face had paled and he still wasn't looking at her.

Everly didn't say anything and went to place her hand on his back, but Blake jerked away from her.

"Don't."

She couldn't keep the hurt from her face, "Blake, please," tears welled up in her eyes, "Vanessa brought him over and she came upstairs to wake me up. I didn't know. Blake…" she said his name desperately.

"I don't have time for this," Blake made no move to pick up the silverware, "It's been two. Weeks."

"I-I know," Everly gasped and wiped tears from her cheeks, "I'm aware."

Finally, Blake moved from the table and Everly saw that his fists were clenched. In one sweep, Blake had moved his arm, sending the plates and silverware that had been laid out crashing to the ground.

Everly jumped and took a few steps back. The noise had scared her, but she wasn't afraid. Blake had never hit her or laid a hand on her or their children. He had never slammed doors or yelled at her.

So, she understood the violent reaction. With everything going on, Blake's brother dropping in like that was something his brain couldn't handle.

Biting her lip, she mumbled, "Those plates were a wedding present."

Blake choked out a sound that was in between a sob and an unwanted laugh. He brought a hand up to cover his eyes and pressed his lips together.

Everly stepped forward again and this time, Blake allowed her to comfort him as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.

Blake was so beat, Everly knew. He had to be way more tired than she was. Not only did she know he wasn't sleeping, but he wasn't eating a lot. He was still working and was stressed out all the time, worrying over everything and everyone. He was the one handling the legal stuff and trying to figure out a plan for after all of this.

It troubled her. What if he had a heart attack?

"I'll tell Mark to leave," she told him, "Then, why don't you go rest and I'll bring you breakfast. How does that sound?"

"No," Blake declined and Everly pulled back to look at him, "You should go to the hospital. "I can talk to him," he said and sniffled, "I'll talk to him."

For once, Everly actually hesitated. She was scared to go. What if Blake snapped and beat Mark to a pulp? Then, he'd get arrested, be sent to prison and he wouldn't do well in prison.

"You don't have to force yourself," Everly said, "We have a lawyer. If it's too much, right now, then that's fine. How many times have you told me to take care of myself? Well, you have to take care of yourself, too."

She hated how small her voice sounded. She had meant to sound firm and strong.

"Trust me, I will be," Blake assured her, "Telling Mark to get out of my house is just what I need."

Everly closed her eyes when Blake began to rub circles into her shoulders.

"Okay," she whispered, "I love you."

She felt Blake move closer to her and gasped when his lips pressed against hers.

"I love you too," he mumbled against her lips, "C'mon."

Everly let him take her hand and, breakfast forgotten, they went out to the living room, where Vanessa was still standing with Mark. Neither looked like they had particularly enjoyed each other's company.

She looked up at her husband, fearing he'd lash out again, but she was surprised to see that he was looking down at her, his face grim.

"You and Ness should head to the hospital," he suggested.

Everly opened her mouth to protest, but it was cut off when Blake kissed her head.

"Go ahead, darling," he urged, "I want you to go and be with Kit."

Again, Everly hesitated. Barely half an hour ago, she had been so frantic to get to the hospital and now she was trying to stall.

When she didn't move, Blake's smile became tighter, "Tell Kit, that I promise I'll come by later. I promise. I promised Indi I'd pick her up from school."

This eased some of Everly's nerves and she nodded, "I'll tell her," she said firmly, "And I'll see you later."

"Yes," Blake nodded and Everly inched towards the door, allowing Vanessa to gently touch the top of her arm.

"I love you," Everly reminded.

"I love you too," his voice was raspy.

Mark said nothing to her as she passed to leave the house and she blinked back tears, pressing her lips together as she closed and locked the door.

* * *

Hate and enmity welled up in Blake's heart, anger boiled deep in his system and his hand twitched by his side, with the urge to punch the person standing across from him. The pressure of this anger would force him to do things that he would regret.

Because he had told Everly to promise his little girl—both of his little girls—that he would see them later.

In conclusion, he could not punch Mark in the face.

"I swear," Blake said, his voice trembling, "If you don't get out of my house, away from my family, you'll regret it."

Mark nodded slowly and he rocked back and forth on his heels before he put one of his hands in his pocket.

"I see," he said. His voice was deeper than Blake's and held a hint of a Danish accent, "For you're information little brother…I was invited here."

Blake's face has become rigid, jaw clamped tight. That couldn't have been any further from the truth. His brother was stalking him, perhaps his brother's parents had Mark try and track him down because they could never mind their business.

Either way, only a small handful of people had been informed that they were moving and none of those people had the contact information of his estranged family.

"I don't care if the president invited you here," Blake marched over to the door and wrenched it open, "Get out of my house or I'll call the cops. I don't ever want to see your face again."

He wanted this man that he despised so much, out of his house. Then, he was going to pretend like this had never happened, go to the kitchen to pick up the breakfast he had made, store it in the freezer, go to work, then go to the hospital to be with his family.

"Blake—

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Blake roared.

"Your daughter's the one who invited me here!" Mark shouted back, "Now, close the goddamn door before your nosy neighbors actually call the cops."

Blake wanted to tell his brother to screw off or use other words that Everly would have scolded him for.

But he didn't. He was confused and would've happily allowed the neighbors to call the cops, if Mark hadn't mentioned his kids. Whether it was Kit or Indigo, Blake couldn't allow Mark to leave here now that he had brought his children into this.

So, while it pained him to do as Mark had suggested, Blake closed the door and took a step away from it. One step.

Mark was watching him with a stupid look on his face. In fact, his whole face was stupid.

"You have five seconds," Blake looked at a nonexistent watch, "Go."

"Your eldest, Kit," Mark started, taking his sweet time, "Tracked me down to my office in Boston. Apparently, you didn't tell her you cut us all off—

"You're five seconds are up."

But Mark continued, "I'm your birthday present, moron," then, he smiled bitterly.

Blake was silent, looking off to the side as he tried to digest this information. He had never talked to Kit about his family. When she was little, she had asked, with the usual curiosity that every child possessed. Why didn't she have four grandparents when everyone in her class did? Why did everyone else have aunts and uncles? Was he an only child? Did he not have parents?

He had brushed it off every time. It was grownup stuff, he would say and as Kit got older, she understood that she wasn't supposed to ask those questions and stopped.

Now, Blake was starting to think he should have answered them. He could have just said that she, Katherine and Everly were his new family or something that would satisfy her constant questions.

If he had done that, this could have all been avoided.

It was so his Kit to track down his family and invite them here. He could picture the glee on her face as she probably imagined how happy and joyous he would be when Mark showed up.

"I know, it's a little early," Mark continued when Blake didn't say anything, "I had actually called to bail on her, but then someone—it sounded like a little girl—answered and told me what had happened. I showed up because Kit's a nice kid, who seriously values family. Unlike you."

Fury returned and Blake felt his cheeks redden, "Screw you!" then, another thought hit him, "Wait, did you…"

"Tell our parents?" Mark clarified with a smirk, "No and to my knowledge, your kid didn't contact them. They're on some kind of cruise for their retirement and have been for awhile."

"So, then this never happened," Blake decided. He nodded towards the door, "Get out."

Mark stood his ground, "You have a cute family. I haven't settled down. Job keeps me busy."

Blake pushed his glasses up in response. He had no idea what Mark was doing, now. Mark was three years older, thirty-seven and when Blake had been eighteen, waiting for the birth of his daughter, Mark had already been at Harvard Law for three years.

Mark was always supposed to be a lawyer of some kind and Blake was supposed to be a clinical laboratory technologist or some other kind of fancy-sounding medical job.

Obviously, that hadn't happened.

"You've done well for yourself," Mark made a show of turning his head this way and that, "Small town, though? I mean, really, Blake is this the best place? Isn't your wife into girls? Small towns don't like that."

In his life, Blake had only punched someone once and that had been when he was eighteen. It had been a long time ago.

He wasn't thinking when he let his anger take over and swung a tight fist, letting it connect with Mark's defined jaw.

Pain blazed from his hand, up his arm. The only was that he could describe it: it hurt.

Mark fell backwards, knocking over the table and the lamp that Blake had almost destroyed with Indi's soccer ball. This time, it shattered.

Blake, himself, had stumbled with the force of his punch and his breath came out it loud rattles. His hand really hurt.

Everly had never cared to label her sexuality and Blake never pressured her to. He was aware of her past. The good and the bad. Everly, in her middle school and high school years, had been with both girls and boys, but none of that mattered.

She was with him and strictly him and he, her. They were in a monogamous relationship and had been for almost eighteen years. Who they had dated or been with in their pasts was nobody's business but their own. Blake, had his own share of experiences, but that was another story, for another time.

"You bastard," he choked out, cradling his hand, "You don't get to talk about my wife, like that. Get out of my house and stay away from my family."

"I-I came…to help you jackass," Mark panted, cupping his nose, "Kit's—

"Don't. Say. Her. Name," Blake growled, "We don't need your help," he headed for the kitchen, needing ice for his hand, "Goodbye, Marcus."

He almost felt bad. Almost. His Kit Kat probably wanted him and his brother to get along and make nice, but that obviously didn't happen.

His brother just…irritated him. They never had much of a relationship. When Blake was fourteen, Mark was away at college. Mark was the favorite of their pa—Mark's parents and it was again, irritating.

"Whatever," Blake mumbled, opening the freezer. Sure, maybe he was a little bitter, that his parents had paid Mark's way through school and couldn't bother to send a card or a pair of booties when Everly had been pregnant.

Everly, being the person that she was, had made some kind of fancy greeting card with Kit's picture when she had been born. Everly had sent it to his parents and did so for the next five years, only to get nothing in response.

Blake shook his head frantically, grabbing a bag of peas. He needed to stop going down that path. He was not a child anymore. He was not fourteen, nor was he nineteen.

He was a grown man with his own life, his own career, his own happiness and his own family. His family.

He did not need those who were no longer considered family to him, trying to wedge their way back in and screwing that up.

' _But Kit Kat will be so disappointed_ ,' his thoughts scolded him, ' _She didn't know any better, you never talked to her about it_.'

Closing the freezer door, he sighed heavily, resting his head against it.

* * *

 **Friday (Day Fifteen):**

Everly's heart sped up when Vanessa pulled into the parking lot of the hospital.

Today was the day she was finally going to allow Indigo to see Kit. After fifteen days.

"I'll be in that family room," Vanessa said, making a move to get out of the car. She passed Everly the keys, "I'll let Esme know you're on your way up. Dr. Cullen, too, if I see him."

Everly nodded and took her time getting out of the car. Indigo was all too eager and before Everly could tell her to slowdown, Indigo was racing around to Everly's side, throwing open the door before Everly even had her seat belt off.

"Are you coming?" Indigo asked impatiently as if they hadn't been at the hospital less than a minute.

"Yes, Indi, be patient," Everly said, getting out of the car. She took Indigo's hand and locked the car.

Everly had thought that Indigo would whisper all the way until they entered the hospital—Indigo knew better than to use her outside voice in a hospital—but she didn't. She was oddly quiet and there was a lack of pep in her step as she huddled close to Everly's side.

Everly took Indigo up to the ICU and stopped right in front of Kit's room, a few feet away. Before Indigo could see anything, Everly knelt down in front of her, blocking Indigo's view.

She rubbed small circles into Indigo's shoulders, "Are you sure you want to go in?"

"I want to see Kitty," Indigo declared, pouting.

Everly bit her lip and nodded, "Okay," nervously, she looked behind her and spotted Dr. Cullen in Kit's room, his hand on Esme's shoulder.

Esme caught her gaze and Everly saw her lift her head and say something to Carlisle who turned and smiled softly at her before he began to approach.

She was so glad. She had agonized over what to say to Indigo and how to explain things. There were no parenting books on this and this was something she never thought she would have to deal with.

When Carlisle got close enough and knelt down beside her, Everly straightened up and went to stand behind Indigo, placing her hands back on her shoulders.

"Hi, there," Carlisle smiled warmly and held a hand out, "You must be Indigo. I've heard a lot about you."

"Hi," Indigo shook his hand, "You're Carlisle, Emmy's daddy."

"That's right," Carlisle chuckled, "I'm also taking care of your big sister. Are you gonna go in and see her?"

Everly bit her lip again when Indigo nodded, "Mhm."

"Okay, then," Carlisle said, "Do you understand what's going on?"

Everly jumped in, "She understands that Kit's sick and needs to sleep."

Indigo bobbed her head up and down obediently, "Daddy says she has to be in a really deep sleep so that she can get better."

"Right," Carlisle agreed, "Now, it might look a little scary, but because she's sleeping, she's hooked up to a few machines. The tubes and things are so she doesn't need to wake up to eat or go potty. You can talk to her—she can hear you, but she won't answer back and she's not in any pain, okay? Just sleeping."

"Okay," Indigo said with some hesitation, "And she really _can_ hear me?"

"She can hear you," Carlisle confirmed, "You can even hold her hand. I bet she'll like that. You just have to be careful and not touch any of the machines."

Everly felt Indigo shift under her hands as she nodded, looking up at her.

"Don't worry," Everly smiled a little, "I'll come in with you. Come on."

"Thank you, Carlisle," she said sincerely, speaking quietly.

"You're welcome," Carlisle nodded, "I'll update you on Kit later."

"Please," Everly didn't want Indigo to hear those things.

With that settled, she took Indigo and gave her some hand sanitizer before going into the room and Esme rose silently, leaving to give them some privacy.

Everly kept her eyes on Indigo the whole time as she led her over to the bed and stopped when they could get no closer.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

Everly was about to suggest that Indigo hold Kit's hand, when Indigo suddenly turned around and threw herself into Everly, knocking the wind out of her as Indigo attempted to hide her face.

"I don't wanna be in here, anymore!" she cried, her voice muffled, "I wanna go home!"

She wasn't crying, but she sounded very upset.

"What?" Everly breathed, cupping the back of Indigo's head, "Indi, I thought—

"No, now!" Indigo demanded, "Take me home!"

But Everly didn't comply with Indigo's request. She stroked Indigo's dirty blonde hair. For two weeks, now, Indigo had begged to see Kit everyday and now she was finally here and hadn't barely been in the room five seconds.

"Tell me what's going on," she said gently, "Are you scared?"

"Noooo."

"Then, what?" Everly pressed, but Indigo shrugged, "Are you sure you wanna go? Carlisle said you can hold her hand…you can talk to her."

Indigo hugged her tightly and Everly mumbled, "Tell me what's going on, honey."

"Kitty's not gonna die, right?"

Everly felt her eyes grow wet, "No," she rasped, "We're gonna get Kit home, okay? She's gonna wake up."

"Okay…"

Everly tried again, "Do you want to hold her hand?"

"Kind of," slowly, Indigo pulled away from her and turned to face Kit, biting her lip.

When Indigo looked up at her worriedly, Everly nodded and placed a reassuring hand on Indigo's shoulder.

Very cautiously, Indigo slipped her hand under Kit's.

"Wake up, now," Indigo demanded, "I want you to come home."

Everly slapped a hand over her mouth as she felt her face crumple, but she tried to keep in any noises, knowing that if Indigo saw her mother cry, she would start crying.

"Daddy broke his hand," Indigo told Kit, "You should have seen it, he has a cast and everything!"

Everly quickly wiped her tears and put on a brave face when Indigo looked up at her again.

"Doesn't he?" Indigo asked.

Everly gave a watery smile. When Blake had come by the hospital, Thursday evening, she had spotted a brace encasing his left hand.

"There's a couple were a couple knuckle fissures and it's sprained," Blake had said, like it was no big deal, "But Carlisle says I just have to keep this on and it should heal up nicely, if nothing disturbs it."

Blake hadn't wanted to talk much about it when Everly had asked, but Blake had given her the gist: Mark had crossed a line, resulting in Blake punching him in the face.

It had been a very short explanation, but Everly knew when to push her husband and when to give him space and let him process.

Besides, they didn't want to speak of stuff like that in front of Kit. She never liked violence and Blake wanted to keep his short visit positive before he went back home to be with Indi.

"Sprained, honey," Everly corrected her, "He's going to be fine."

"Yes," Indigo continued, going back to Kit, "Oh, and I wanted to tell you…Emmy said I could—that you'd like to know that Alice and Emmy took me out for the day and we got ice cream and went shopping, but we didn't buy anything. Alice said you need a new blanket, but I couldn't find a good one and Emmy kept making me laugh. He has your necklace, you know, so, don't worry."

Everly began to stroke Indigo's hair again and she exhaled softly. It was painful, watching her two girls like this. Indigo was handling it better than she thought.

"Are you gonna stay at home, tonight?" Indigo asked hopefully, looking up at Everly again.

"Um," Everly hesitated. Yesterday, she had slept at the hospital again.

"Please?" Indigo begged, fixing her mother with a big, sad stare, "I miss you."

' _What kind of mother am I_?' Everly grimaced, ' _My child is begging to have me home_.'

"…Yes," she said and placed her hand atop Indigo's head, "Yes, baby, I'm coming home, tonight."


	43. If I Die Young, Bury Me In Satin

**Saturday (Day Sixteen):**

"Carlisle, you're _still_ here!?"

Carlisle poured himself his fifth cup of coffee and smiled gently at Brett Warner. The grizzled-face man was a registered nurse at the hospital and had arrived at the scene during Bella's car accident, though unfortunately, he wasn't one of Kit's night nurses.

"I could say the same about you," Carlisle joked. He checked a nearby wall clock, "It's nearing midnight."

"Yeah," Brett visibly grimaced, "Wife's not gonna be too happy—I told her I'd try to pull back on the over-overtime, but Hannah isn't back, yet," he shook his head, "There needs to be someone here, right? Bet you know how that is."

Carlisle nodded if only to placate him. It was actually the opposite. Esme, in fact, his whole family felt a lot better when he was here with Kit instead of at home on-call.

"I'm about to clock out, anyway," Brett continued, "Hey, how's the Algren girl?"

Carlisle sighed wistfully, "Ah, she's hanging in there."

His family were very interconnected and over the past few months both Bella and Kit had become a part of that. Kit was now one-ninth of their family unit, but without her, they wouldn't be able to function as a whole.

Emmett in particular would never be able to grieve. Their kind was not forgiving and could be quite vengeful, never moving past an insult or injury.

If Emmett lost Kit, he would never recover from the pain, and in his vampire nature, would seek out vengeance; unable to rest until the party responsible was eradicated.

Which meant he would slaughter Lauren and her friends…possibly even Rosalie and that would not end well.

The mere thought of his family turning on each other like that, made Carlisle feel particularly sick.

"I'll see you later, Carlisle!"

The light pat on his shoulder was enough to bring Carlisle out of his morbid thoughts and he nodded at Brett.

"Yes," he agreed, putting a lid on his coffee cup, "Tell the family I've said hello."

"Will do!" Brett grinned at him, then made a face, "I can't believe you drink that stuff black. At least add a sugar pack—"

" _Code blue_ , _ICU_ , _room two_! _Code blue_ , _ICU_ , _room two_! _Code blue_ , _ICU_ , _room two_!"

The coffee cup slid from Carlisle's fingers and he didn't stay long enough to hear it crash to the ground. He definitely didn't stay long enough to worry about how it was going to get cleaned up.

He ran, a little too fast and made it to Kit's room in record time.

It was chaos.

All the machines were beeping and flashing, even the ventilator was making its own sounds of protests.

"I need help!" Addison was shouting, "I need some help in here, please!" she had attached a bag and valve to the breathing tube and was working frantically.

Carlisle tried to make it way to Kit's bedside, but Everly was trying to grasp at his coat, sobbing and crying Kit's name as she too, tried to to get to her daughter's bedside, but he had to push her away gently.

"Nurse!" Carlisle called, "I need you to escort Mr. and Mrs. Algren out of here please!" he leaned away from Everly, "Blake, please—

"No, you have to let me—she can't leave me!" Everly was shouting and sobbing and Carlisle took her wrists in his hands, "Kit, please don't go, don't go, don't—

"Everly, you have to let me do my job!" Carlisle didn't mean to shout at her, but she was hysterical, "Please, you have to go, now! Blake, please take your wife out of the room, you both need to leave!"

"I've got it, Dr. Cullen, I've got it!" Brett had come in and firmly grasped Everly's shoulder, "Mrs. Algren, you need to come with me."

With Brett handling the parents, Carlisle turned to Kit, his eyes sweeping over the machines. His hand went to Kit's wrist and he cursed under his breath, a rarity for him.

"We have no pulse," he announced, "I need epinephrine, now!"

Addison had it and handed him the bright orange syringe. He pressed the needle into Kit's skin.

Over his shoulder, he shouted, "I need a cart! I need a cart, I need the crash cart! Somebody get me the cart, please! Administrating epinephrine…" he pressed the plunger down and waited impatiently.

The machines were still shrieking at him.

"No response!" he quickly unbuttoned the front of Kit's gown and placed his hands in the correct position, "Beginning compressions!"

' _Come on_ , _Kit_ , _stay with me_ ,' he begged her, _'Stay with me_ , _sweetheart_.'

For a second, he glanced over his shoulder, "I need that cart, NOW!"

"Right here!" Brett wheeled it in and Carlisle got to work, prepping the external defibrillator.

He gripped the paddles tight and placed them on Kit's bare chest, the gel having been applied. He could hear Blake and Everly sobbing.

"Clear!" Kit's body jerked underneath him, "…No pulse!" his breath hitched, "Charging…"

"Charged!" Brett said.

"Clear!" Kit jerked again and the sight caused Carlisle to wince. The machines beeped a few times.

"No," Addison said, still working over the bag and valve. The machines went back to their shrieking.

"No pulse!" Carlisle announced and Everly and Blake's sobs cut through him, "Again…charging…"

He did it again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

.

.

.

.

Blank faced, Carlisle held out his hand, not looking at Addison's face, "I need the charts."

"Dr. Cullen," Addison sighed and it was clear she didn't notice his grief. He heard pages turning, but still didn't look at her, "There's been no output in twenty-four hours."

Carlisle nodded slowly, "Okay," he whispered.

He cleared his throat and walked around Kit's bed, to where Everly and Blake stood on the other side.

"We need to discuss Kit's situation," he told them, sadly.

It was a miracle, but they had gotten Kit's pulse back.

"C-can we do it outside?" Everly whimpered.

"Absolutely," Carlisle nodded, knowing how she felt about Kit overhearing these things, "Please, after you."

When both Blake and Everly were out of the room, Carlisle slid the door shut, leaving Kit alone with Addison. Everly didn't protest, twisting her wedding ring anxiously around her finger.

Carlisle pressed his lips together, then addressed the two, "It appears that Kit isn't recovering from the pneumonia like we thought she would. We tried a course of stronger antibiotics, but they haven't worked well. The X-Rays show that pus has started to fill her lungs and we had to insert a chest tube."

"And that's going to help?" Everly asked hopefully, her voice hoarse from her crying.

Carlisle's eyes stung and he blinked. After all these years, crying was still a strange feeling. Though filled with venom, his eyes would feel dry and it always caused him to try and blink against the uncomfortable feeling.

He could barely move his lips to form his next words, "There's some damage to Kit's lungs. We checked her blood levels and the results show that the rest of her organs are not improving, either. She is continuing down the path of c-complete organ failure."

"Oh no," the tears, fell unchecked down Everly's face as she shook her head, her face crumpling, "Please, no…"

But Carlisle had to continue, his voice was choked with emotion, "At this point, we have her on hemodialysis, through a non-cuffed catheter," he took a breath and the air hitched in his throat, "After that…I'm afraid that's all we can do."

"No!" Everly repeated. She trembled all over, bringing a hand to her mouth.

"I don't understand," Blake whispered, "I—what happens after that?"

Carlisle was sure that he was going to choke to death on the air he didn't need.

He gave a small shake of his head, "I-I'm _so_ sorry, Blake. We've done everything we can…I'm s—

His third apology was drowned out by Everly's desolate sobs as she rested her head on Blake's shoulder.

It took everything Carlisle had not to break down there with her and the sob ripped from his throat before he could stop it. His hand raised to a balled fist at his mouth.

"Please," Blake begged on the verge of tears, "Please, we'll do anything. Money's no option! There has to be a surgery or something! Anything, please!"

Carlisle hated this. It cut into his very being and he brought his other arm around his stomach, protecting an open wound that wasn't there. All the worry, all the pain, the fear, that everyone had felt over these past sixteen days—a little over two weeks—came crashing down on him.

He didn't know what to do and he felt like a fraud. Because he hadn't done everything in his power to save Kit. Blake had said anything. Though Carlisle knew that he couldn't translate that as a demand to turn Kit. This was not Elizabeth Masen who, in her dying, feverish state, had know that Carlisle could do what other doctors could not.

There was nothing he could do. He loved Kit like a daughter and he couldn't save her.

"She's still not in any pain," Carlisle choked out, "And…if you haven't reached out, to other family members or friends, I would recommend calling and getting them down here."

Another loud sob ripped from Everly's throat and she hugged Blake even tighter, Blake reciprocating by hiding his face in her neck.

Carlisle pursed his lips and silently excused himself to his office, but was stopped right as he turned.

"Carlisle?"

"Yes, Blake?" he faced them. Blake had his chin resting on Everly's shoulder, his hand rubbing her back.

"Thank you," Blake said shakily, "I know…you did everything you could. Thank you for everything. You fought for her and…" he had to stop for a moment, "She really loved your boy and you and Esme and your whole family. We're going to get justice because of you. Thank you."

Carlisle was not worthy of any thanks or any kind words. If he were, Kit wouldn't be dying. He would be working over her until she opened her eyes, so that he could work over her again and get her into proper health to return home.

"I couldn't do enough," he told Blake sincerely, "I'll be here if you need anything and I'll still be checking on Kit throughout the day. Is there anyone you need me to call?"

Blake looked off to side, then shook his head and looked back at Carlisle.

"Just your family, right now," Blake told him, "I don't know if Vanessa can get her family here in—" he had to stop again, getting too emotional.

"I'll call them," Carlisle said, "I…" usually when finished treating a patient, a physician was supposed to recite: ' _It's been a pleasure treating_ …' and then insert said patients name.

But Carlisle didn't say that. Couldn't say that.

"We loved Kit very much," he said instead.

He excused himself again, resting in his office for a moment alone.

He balanced one hand on his desk and brought the other to cover his eyes. A quiet, choking noise escaped his lips.

* * *

As soon as Emmett entered the hospital, he knew something was wrong.

Something was really, really wrong.

He quickened his pace, making his way up to the ICU and that's when he noticed the first thing that was wrong.

Neither Everly or Blake were in Kit's room, but they were outside, their eyes trained on the three nurses in the room, bustling about.

"Blake, Everly," he kept his voice quiet and his face fell when they turned to face him.

They looked…awful. There were almost no words to describe it. He had never seen them look so broken and so lifeless. Not even on Kit's first day of her coma.

Everly's lip puckered as if looking at him was painful.

"Oh, honey," she reached for him and Emmett took her hand, "I-I-I'm so—" she pressed her lips together, keeping her other hand on Blake's shoulder, "I'm so sorry."

"W-what?" Emmett breathed. He didn't understand, he could still hear Kit's heartbeat, but it was faint, "I—what happened!? I thought…"

Everly moaned, a painful, high-pitched sound and she shook her head.

"I-it's b-been a r-r-rough night—morning," her face turned red with the effort not to cry.

Blake cleared her throat, "Um," his voice cracked, "It's…not looking good."

And then Blake's face crumpled and he broke down.

Blake cried as if the ferocity of it might bring Kit back. It looked painful and he held onto Everly like a lifeline, his agony shaking him so violently he risked falling.

Everly, who was struggling to keep her tears silent, lowered him to the ground and brought Blake's head into the crook of her neck, stroking his hair as she tried to soothe him.

Emmett didn't do anything, but stare down at the couple, falling apart on the hospital floor.

He had never felt more empty in mind, body or soul. Yet, at the same time, his insides felt too tight. It felt like the venom flowing through his frozen veins had turned to some kind of numbing cream. His brain was a stand still and he couldn't make his mouth work.

"Emmett," someone touched his arm.

He knew that voice. He was pretty sure he did.

"Let's give them some privacy."

The sleeve of his dark gray sweater was being tugged on and then Emmett was walking and he wasn't sure how he was walking because he couldn't feel his legs.

"Son, look at me. Look at me right now."

There were hands holding his face and then Emmett was looking into the darkened eyes of Carlisle. The blond probably hadn't hunted in awhile. He had been working nonstop at the hospital.

"Son," Carlisle said again, the deep wrinkles in his forehead looked out of place on his impossibly youthful features.

"Dad," Emmett choked out.

He had never felt so alone, so lost. So incapable of doing even the smallest tasks. Like fake breathing when the humans were around.

Because Kit was going to die.

He started to shake with grief and he was sure, that this is what it felt like, when your soul crumbled to pieces.

He was breaking apart, he could feel it. Cracks were starting to appear in his skin and one of his family members were going to have to use their venom to put him back together.

"I-I'm breaking apart," he warned his father, "Right, now! I'm breaking, you have to fix it!"

"Emmett, Emmett, shhhh," Carlisle's trembling hands began to stroke his face, "There are no cracks in your skin, I promise."

"No, there are!" Emmett blinked fifteen times in less than a second, "There are cracks. I can feel it, my hands!"

"Your hands are fine," Carlisle assured him gently, "I know you're in pain and you're not breaking apart."

"Why? I don't—" Emmett's breath rattled out of his chest, "I don't—why?" his eyes wheedled out of control, searching Carlisle's.

"Organ failure," Carlisle said sadly, "She coded and there was no pulse."

"Well, fix it!" in sudden anger, Emmett seized Carlisle's wrist and squeezed, but his father didn't flinch.

"We did," Carlisle remained calm, "Son, we've done everything—

"You're a liar!" Emmett snarled at him and jumped out of his chair, breaking it to pieces.

Carlisle jumped back, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender, "I know, son, I know. I can't turn her now. It's too late and…I called the family. Everly and Blake said they'll give everyone time to say goodbye."

Emmett's unnecessary breaths were short, "I-I can't, Carlisle, I c-can't."

A choked cry was released and he clenched his fists. Before the thought had finished in his mind, everything on Carlisle's desk had been swept nosily to the floor.

He collapsed to his knees and another sound was released from his throat. One that caused the wall decorations to shake. It was high and keening, a cross between a howl and a sob, one that he didn't know was possible for him to make.

"Shhh, Emmett," Carlisle's trembling hands were back on his face, "I know, son, I know. Come here."

Carlisle had cupped the back of his head and while he was much bigger than Carlisle, both in height and width, his father managed to hold him and Emmett let himself be held.

He let himself be weak and vulnerable as Carlisle stroked his hair and rocked him back and forth.

.

.

.

.

Emmett was in Carlisle's office for hours until Carlisle deemed him okay to leave. Okay as in, not go crazy, break more things and crash through the hospital windows and go after Lauren.

So, he was okay.

Emmett walked towards the colorful bad news room with Carlisle's hand clasped tightly on his shoulder.

When they made it there without incident, Emmett spotted his family. Alice was curled up in Jasper's lap and Bella Edward's. Esme sat next to Vanessa holding her hand and Rosalie hadn't come. She never did and wasn't allowed to. He didn't see Willa or Angela and he wondered if they had been called.

The air was tense, Jasper making no move to change that, but what pierced that, was Indigo, arguing with her father.

She wasn't looking at him and had her arms folded across her chest, "I don't want to," she whined loudly. A tear slid down her face, "You promised…"

"I know, Princess," Blake's voice choked and he stroked Indigo's hair, "Trust me, there's nothing in the world I want you to do less."

Indigo brought her fists up to rub her eyes and started crying. It was that unmistakable, heart wrenching sound of a child's wail, that eventually grew louder, until Indigo broke down into ragged sobs.

Biting his lip in a very Kit-like fashion, Emmett reached into his pocket and pulled out Kit's locket.

He went to kneel in front of Indigo, who Blake was trying to soothe, while keeping his own tears at bay.

"Hey, kiddo," Emmett gently touched her arm, "I—when I go talk to your sister—well, I think she'd like it better if you hung onto this for her," he held out the plastic baggie, an offering.

Indigo was still rubbing at her tearful eyes, but she lowered one hand to peer at him.

"There you go," he encouraged her as she reached for it, then took it from his hand.

Her sobs broke apart as she tried to catch her breath in between and she wiped her nose on the back of her hand, blinking lashes heavy with tears.

Emmett cupped the side of Indigo's head, rubbing gently with his thumb.

' _Poor kid_ ,' this was hard for him, but it had to be harder for her, ' _She's just a little thing_.'

"T-thank you," Indigo hiccuped, then promptly turned away and burrowed her face in Blake's stomach.

"Yeah," Emmett let his hand drop and he straightened up.

"Ki-Kit's waiting for you, I-I'm sure," Blake didn't look at Emmett and pressed his trembling lips to Indigo's blonde hair.

Emmett didn't say anything and when he turned to leave the room, Carlisle gave him a firm look before walking past him to go check on Esme.

The journey to Kit's room felt like a long one, he felt unsteady on his feet, like the room was tilted or he might fall over.

In Kit's room, Everly was sitting as close as she could get, one hand holding Kit's and the other stroking her hair.

"Emmett's here, Kit Kat, okay?" Everly told Kit and kissed her forehead as she stood up, "Take your time, sweetie. S-she loves y-you so…m-much."

"Thank you," Emmett whispered, taking Everly's abandoned seat.

The door slid closed and now, it was just Emmett, Kit and her machines that kept her alive.

There were more tubes, he noticed. Two of them and her gown was open in the front with electrodes and wires attached to her chest.

She had lost a lot more weight and she was paler. She was so small and looked so fragile. She still wore her promise ring, but it was much looser.

He took her hand and matched his breath to the beeping of the machines.

"I don't think you understand how much I love you," he whispered, "And I wish I had been able to tell you before everything fell apart."

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

Emmett felt his face warp, then, the dry, tearless sobs punched through, ripping through his muscles, through his bones, and guts.

"Don't leave me," he begged, squeezing her hand, "Please, Kit, _please_ don't leave me."

He loved her so much. Every time he looked at her, a rush of undying love flooded his entire being and warmed his insides. Even if he only looked away from her for millisecond. She was his heart, his soul, his mate.

"Please," his eyes went to hers, but still, they were closed. Would he never see her green eyes again? Her eyes that were the glittering color of emerald. That were full of so much light, they didn't need the sun in order to look like they were sparkling.

He would miss her rolling them when he told a stupid joke or was way too overly dramatic.

Would he never hear her laugh again? When Kit laughed is was the best sound in the world. She would laugh with her entire being as her face changed with the sound, relaxing into unrestrained joy and mirth.

Emmett began to panic.

"Okay, Kit, okay," he breathed, "If you wake up…if you wake up, I'll do whatever you want," another sob escaped him, "I'll swear less, okay? And I'll drive the speed limit—all the time! I'll tell you whatever you want to know, whenever you ask, I swear—I…"

He reached with his other hand and touched Kit's freckled cheek with his fingertips, scooting to the edge of his chair.

"I'll make Edward teach me the piano—I'll make him spend every second of the day teaching me until I'm just as good as you are at the violin and then…we'll go to Julliard together," he swallowed thickly, "We can go to Julliard together and get one of those crappy artist apartment lofts…"

"And we'll get married," he promised in a broken whisper, "We can have a giant wedding with chicory blossoms and pink camellias everywhere and a bunch of yellow stuff."

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

His was standing before the thought fully crossed his mind, pressing his lips to Kit's cheek.

' _I promise_ ,' he thought, "Please, Kit," he finished his thought aloud, "Just wake up," he pulled away from her, "And…if you need me to go away. If everything is too hard and you want my family and I to leave forever, then that's okay, too."

It had struck him, that perhaps when Kit woke up, everything that had occurred in Forks would be too much for her to bear. Moving, going to school, encountering Lauren, having Katie betray her, James coming after her, maybe even him.

And that was fine. It would be painful, but it would be fine. He loved her enough to let her go.

"Whatever you need is okay," he promised her, "Just wake up. It's going to be hard, but you'll get through it. You'll learn to smile again and we can all help you. If that's what you want," he added again and stroked her forehead, "I love you, Kit Amara Algren. Thank you for letting me love you."

Then, he left the room.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Whoosh._

* * *

 **Sunday: (Day Seventeen):**

"I'm sorry to have called you all in here at such an imperative, hard time," Jenks apologized, but Emmett didn't think he was sorry at all.

He said as much, "Not sorry enough not to do it."

He was pissed and at the same time, he felt empty inside. Kit wasn't going to make it and he didn't have long. He wanted to be with her, but instead, he and his family, including Bella and Carlisle, had all been called down to the police station.

They all stood, knelt or sat by the desk, that was void of anything, but an expensive looking laptop computer. Jenks stood at the side of the desk.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Jenks said. Again, it didn't sound like he meant it, "And, Dr. Cullen, I'm aware that you have duties at the hospital. We'll try not to take too long."

"Thank you," Carlisle nodded.

"Now," Jenks continued spoke, "I would have called the parents down here as well, but considering the circumstances, I didn't think it would be in their best interest. You're all very involved with the victim and the police are still investigating, so, it's not necessary for them to be here, right now."

He turned to the laptop, his finger on the spacebar. He paled to that sickly paste color and Emmett felt venom build up in his mouth. He hadn't hunted since his fight with Rosalie.

"This may be hard to watch," Jenks swallowed thickly, "But it's important that you see it."

He pressed the spacebar and the computer came to life, starting to play a video:

There was the sound of shuffling and a black screen, but then someone started giggling.

 _"Are you recording?" Lauren giggled._

 _"Um, yeah, I think—wait—I don't—"_

 _"Ashely, you're such an idiot," Jessica hissed through her laughter, "Your fat finger is over the camera."_

 _"Oh."_

 _There was more shuffling and the black screen was gone, showing the surroundings._

Emmett frowned. He didn't like this. It looked like they were in the girls locker room.

 _"Okay, wait, where's Katie?" Lauren demanded._

 _"She's over there," Ashley said._

 _The cellphone camera moved just as Katie came from around the corner and she looked guilty. She wasn't laughing like the other girls._

 _"Did you hide them!?" Jessica asked eagerly._

 _"Yeah," Katie nodded, eyeing the camera nervously. She jammed a thumb behind her, "They're behind the trashcan. I didn't know where else to put them."_

 _Ashley moved the camera again and it focused on Lauren's face. She looked so gleeful._

 _"Jessica, stop laughing!" she giggled._

 _"I-I can't help it," Jessica croaked, "Oh my god, I can't breathe," and she bursted into more fits._

 _"Wait, I hear footsteps, I hear footsteps!" Lauren hissed, "Everyone, shhh, shhh! Ashley, record her!"_

 _"I am!" Ashley grumbled, "Jeez!"_

The phone camera went blurry for a second, then focused.

Emmett bit his lip, when on the video, he saw Kit come into view, wearing her gym clothes, a sweatshirt unzipped over her shirt. Jasper pushed calm at him and this time, Emmett welcomed it.

 _Kit looked terrified and in a quivering voice, she asked, "What are you guys doing?"_

 _The camera moved again and it showed Lauren and Jessica standing by an empty gym locker, its door wide open._

 _"Well," Lauren said and Jessica started giggling again, "We were just, you know, in the neighborhood and we saw," she pointed to the locker, her face morphing into concern, "You don't have any clothes."_

 _"Oh no," Ashley crooned, "What are you gonna do?"_

 _The camera went back to Kit's face and she had her lip between her teeth, her eyes bright as they other girls giggled._

 _"It's so sad," the camera showed Jessica making a big show of looking into Kit's empty gym locker, "They just…disappeared."_

 _The camera went to Kit's face again, just as Jessica slammed the locker door shut, the sound making Kit jump._

 _"And right after gym class," Ashley whined pitfully, "The day we ran the mile."_

 _"Do you think," the camera showed Lauren walking towards Kit, "That's Emmett's going to let your overweight ass into his car smelling like that?"_

Emmett clenched his fist.

 _"Oh, wait!" Lauren gasped dramatically and faced the camera as her friends laughed, "I forgot, Emmett's not here today," she turned back to Kit, "None of those **freaks** are here to babysit you, are they!?"_

"Kit…" Alice breathed. She sounded so heartbroken.

 _"Still," came Ashely's voice, "You smell so gross and you're so sweaty. I think we should take care of that."_

 _"Honestly," Jessica walked into frame, "You smell disgusting. I might vomit."_

 _Kit tried to run, but it only provoked the girls more as Lauren and Jessica seized Kit's arms, laughing manically. The camera shook with Ashely's laughter._

 _"Katie, go turn on the shower!" Lauren called to the redhead._

 _"No!" Kit yelled, struggling, "Get—let go, stop it!"_

Esme's hand went to Emmett's shoulder and he leaned into her touch. He couldn't get angry and destroy the computer. No matter how much he wanted to.

 _"I've got it!" Ashley said and the camera moved and warped, until it was a black screen again._

 _"Push her harder!" Jessica said._

 _"No, stop it!" Kit cried, "Get off, let go. Help!"_

 _The camera moved and went into focus again. The one shower in the girl's locker room was running, its curtain pushed back to show the old tile and spray of harsh water_.

 _"Get—over here!" the camera only showed Lauren and Jessica's arms as they tried to pull Kit to the shower._

 _"No! Lauren, stop!" Kit shouted, "Ow, let go!"_

 _"We're gonna give you a nice shower," the camera moved again and briefly showed Katie._

 _"Plug your nose!" Jessica called._

 _Ashley stepped back and the video showed Kit just as she was pushed in, gym clothes and all._

 _Kit cried out and stumbled into the shower wall as water soaked her. She inhaled a loud gasp and released the exhale in another pained cry._

 _"Close it, close the curtain!" Ashley encouraged._

 _Squealing, Lauren quickly slid it closed and held it against the wall, putting all of her strength into it. She looked like she was having the time of her life as Kit visibly struggled to get out._

 _"Jess, help me!" Lauren demanded._

 _Jessica ran into frame and helped Lauren hold the curtain._

Emmett reached out and grabbed Esme's hand. Squeezing and moving it from his shoulder. He was shaking again.

 _"Guys, someone will come in," Katie whined and the camera went to her scared face, "Just…let her out. It's been, like, ten minutes or something."_

 _Jessica rolled her eyes, but moved out of frame and dramatically, Lauren threw open the curtain and the girls burst into laughter at the sight, throwing their heads back as Kit stumbled out of the shower._

 _Kit was slipping and sliding, grasping onto anything and holding out her arms to keep from falling. Her hair stuck awkwardly to her face and her gym shoes made a squelching sound whenever she took a small step._

 _She had only made it a few steps when Jessica shoved her. Hard._

Emmett closed his eyes and looked away, but he winced when Kit cried out and heard her body crumble to the ground with a loud clapping sound from her wet clothes and skin.

More laughter and Emmett forced himself to look.

 _Kit had rolled over, her hands behind her to prop herself up. Her face was red. She was crying._

 _"Awww," both Lauren and Jessica went into frame, one girl on either side of her._

 _"Jess," Lauren scolded, a smile on her face, "Look, we made the poor thing cry."_

 _"All that and she still stinks," Ashley crowed._

 _Hiccuping out a broken sob, Kit tried to get up and managed to get to her feet. She was shaking and brushed wet hair out of her face, sliding a little as she did so._

 _"Did I fucking tell you to get up!?" Jessica shoved Kit again and Ki made a loud sound of pain as her back hit the wall._

 _"St-o-oo-p!" Kit sobbed and she covered her face with her hands and slid down the wall, breaking into louder cries, her thinning body wracked with them._

Emmett's heart broke, but he forced himself to keep watching. He didn't understand. When had this happened? How could this have happened?

 _Clearly amused, Lauren turned towards the camera, "Are you getting this?"_

 _"Yeah, this is gold!" Ashley moved the phone to focus more on Kit, "How utterly pathetic."_

 _"I told you," Jessica sneered, "I told you I was going to beat your ass."_

 _Lauren went and knelt down by Kit, "Nothing to say?" she taunted, "You're just gonna sit there?" she looked past the camera when Kit only cried into her hands, "Seriously, guys, she's not much of a fighter, is she?"_

 _Mumbles of "No," came from each girl._

 _"Do you think the Cullens can even fucking stand you?" Lauren hissed and Kit brought her knees up to her chest, "A bunch of freaks who shack up with each other giving a shit about you. Ugh, I bet you just make their lives so miserable, just like you make mine. Isn't that right, you stupid whore?"_

 _Weakly, Kit shrugged and she choked out another sob, her breath coming out way too fast and way too rough._

 _"P-please," Kit begged, tilting her head back. Her eyes were closed. She coughed and sucked in a loud gasp, placing a hand to her chest, "I-I can't bre-_

 _"Shut up!" Jessica snapped and Kit flinched._

"Calm, Emmett," Carlisle reminded in a voice only they could hear, "Excuse yourself if you need to."

Emmett didn't move. Kit's breathing was loud and rough. The sobbing wasn't helping.

 _"You know," Lauren continued, her tone casual, "If it were me—if I was just going to stand there like an idiot and not fight back, I'd off myself...finish the job and get it over with. I wouldn't be able to stand the thought of how my existence makes everyone miserable," she shrugged, "But that's just me."_

 _"Guys, let's just go," Katie's voice was borderline begging, "Seriously, someone's gonna come in. Let's go."_

 _"Fine," Jessica glared at Kit and flipped her hair as she walked out of frame, "She's boring, anyway."_

 _Kit was still huddled up and crying and gasping desperately for air when Lauren rose to a standing position. She too, flipped her hair as she walked, but right before she went off frame, she stopped and turned slowly to Kit, wagging a warning finger as if she was a mother scolding their child._

 _"Don't. Move." she warned Kit._

When Jenks hit the spacebar, stopping the video, Emmett jumped. He had forgotten the old man was even there.

"That was awful," Esme moaned.

"Yes, I'm sorry," Jenks said, "I need to know: have any of you, at any point, seen or had knowledge of this video?"

"No!" Jasper snapped and Jenks began to sweat, "We didn't. How many more of these are there?"

"A few," Jenks mumbled, "I need an answer from all of you…none of you were aware of this?"

The growls that were released from the Cullens' throats was enough of an answer and Emmett hoped that Jasper was pumping Jenks full of fear. Maybe he'd wet his pants.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Emmett saw Edward soothe Bella. The rough noises had probably scared her and she had been the only one to mutter a soft "no".

"Okay, okay," Jenks held up a trembling hand and reached into his pocket to pull out a cellphone.

He pressed a number on speed dial and held the phone to his ear.

It was picked up on the first ring.

" _Officer Swan_ ," came Charlie's gruff voice.

"Yes, it's Jenks," he said curtly, "I showed the Cullens the video. I haven't showed the parents yet, but I think we can get away with that. They were never suspects, and you questioned them."

" _Right_ ," Charlie agreed, " _What do you want me to do_?"

"Pick the girls up," Jenks said firmly, "Arrest them. All of them."


	44. A Story Is Ending

**Monday (Day Eighteen):**

Lauren walked through the halls, keeping her pretty head held high and her gorgeous eyes sharp.

Flyers, plastered to the hallway walls stared at her with Kit's smiling face.

' _Vigil For Kit Algren_ ' the top of the flyer read in bold print. Smack dab in the middle of the paper, was a picture of Kit. Someone had inserted colored clipart around the picture of roses and butterflies. At the bottom, it read: ' _Monday, 7pm Tillicum Park_ '.

Lauren rolled her eyes, tempted to rip down the next flyer she passed. She was so sick of this Kit Algren bullshit and all of the drama.

She had been in second period working on her assignment, like the good student she was, when she had been requested in the principal's office.

She had left the classroom gracefully, but on the inside, she was furious. She knew it was due to these stupid rumors and she couldn't take it anymore. She was being slandered everyday and no one seemed to care.

She was going to make that clear to Principal Greene and was sure he'd be on her side. The school would fall apart without her and her parents constant contributions.

When she reached his office, she knocked on the door, ready to clear her name and get this over with. She had a life to live.

" _Come in_."

She opened the door and stopped short, her mouth parting when she saw who occupied the first two chairs, leaving the middle one empty.

Her parents were here.

"Hello, Lauren," Principal Greene greeted, "Please, have a seat."

"Okaaay," she drawled out, shutting the door behind her.

She took the seat between her parents, frowning. This morning, when she had left, her parents had not told her about this. They had not told her that they would be at her school.

"What's going on?" she demanded, forgoing her usually sweet tone.

Principal Greene fiddled with the papers in front of him, "Your parents and I, have been discussing this," he toyed with the papers again, "Well, not a letter, exactly, but a signed statement. Here, you can read it."

Lauren took the stapled papers and skimmed them quickly. Besides her mother coughing once into the crook of her arm, everyone was silent.

Her frown only deepened and Lauren was pretty sure she had never been so angry in her whole life.

Because what she was reading was a "signed statement" that she had been the only one to "bully Kit Algren", basically laying out that it was her fault that Kit had killed herself.

"What…?" she breathed, unable to believe what she was reading, "What is this?"

"It's a signed statement," Principal Greene said, but Lauren all ready knew that, "Your friends all came to me and told me that you're the cause of all the bullying and, well—that's just not like you, Lauren," and she nodded firmly, "I want to know—" he cut himself off and gestured to her parents, "We want to know your side of the story."

"There is no side!" Lauren snapped, a permanent frown on her face, "I didn't do any of this stuff!" she was pissed, "I didn't…I didn't," she read the letter, "I didn't ' _harass her_!'" she used air quotes, "I-I didn't send her ' _mean text messages_!' I didn't ' _push her_!' and I wasn't ' _calling her names until she cried_!'

She threw the letter and the force she had put behind it didn't matter. It fluttered slowly back onto the desk, "I didn't do any of those things!"

Principal Greene arched an eyebrow, "You're telling me…? You're saying you didn't do any of this?"

"Yes!" Lauren exclaimed, "They did it and are trying to blame me!"

"Okay," Principal Greene nodded, "So, your friends did these things?" he shook the paper and Lauren nodded, "And you had no part whatsoever? They decided to put this all on you?"

"I—" Lauren hesitated, "Yes! Mom, defend me!" she turned to her mother, "Do you see what he's doing? Why aren't you standing up for me!?"

"Yes, dear," Lauren's mother, Debbie Mallory placed a hand on her arm, "I believe you," she moved her hand to David's arm, "We both believe you."

"Thank you!" Lauren slumped back in her chair.

"Okay," Principal Greene said, "But you're telling me, that your friends are putting all of this on you…and you—have you ever spoken to Kit?"

Lauren shrugged, "I mean, not really, I guess. I-I joked around with her, a little bit."

Principal Greene nodded, "I need you to understand how serious this is. Your friends," he showed her the paper where all their signatures were, "Have signed this and put their name to it. All of their stories matched up. I can't simply believe you because you said you didn't do it. This is serious."

Lauren rolled her eyes, "Obviously. Don't you think I know that?"

"Okay, so then, you need to take responsibility—

"I said I joked around with her!" Lauren shouted, "So, what!? It's high school! It's not my fault if Kit can't take a freakin' joke!" she shoved a finger at the papers, "And _they_ did the same thing, but everyone wants to blame me!"

Debbie interrupted, "Mr. Greene, you're talking about all of this—all about bullying, but you're bullying my daughter into trying to take the fall because of all this drama, and because these girls lie!"

"Thank you!" Lauren repeated, "It's literally not my problem if someone can't take a joke."

Principal Greene held up a hand, "I understand that and Mrs. Mallory, I'm not bullying anyone—

"Everyone is blowing this way out of proportion," Lauren stated, "None of this is true, I have straight A's, I have friends, I've lived here my _entire_ life."

"I'm just trying to figure out what happened," Principal Greene said, "I am asking questions, trying to get answers. I understand and acknowledge that you're a great student, but I can't make this go away. This is real," he showed her the papers again, "Your friends signed this."

"Because they're jealous," David spoke up, "They're throwing my child under the bus. I don't see them and their parents in here 'taking responsibility'. Lauren has never ever been in trouble for being mean to anyone, and I don't see why she'd start now, so close to the end of the year. Especially picking on someone that's just moved here. She would never do that, and has better things to do with her time."

Lauren nodded firmly. She didn't know why she had to be here, "Okay, so, we all know I didn't do this. Can I go now? Believe it or not, I actually have school and I'm missing it."

"No, I don't know that you didn't do anything," Principal Greene said, "I do know, that I have a very serious situation on my hands, that me as well as the schoolboard has to take care of and it's very real and very scary."

"Did all of this joking around, this so-called bullying put that child in a coma?" Debbie demanded, "Or did she put herself in the coma by taking all those damn pills?"

Lauren blinked, "Yeah, that's actually a good point, thank you mother!" she glared at Principal Greene, "No one told her to take those pills, she made that choice _herself_! No one held a gun to her head. She took the pills, _she_ did! I didn't shove them down her throat! She made that choice!"

"All right, all right, all right," Principal Greene held up both of his hands, "Let's all take a breath and—

He was interrupted when the door to his office opened and two men dressed in police uniforms walked through the door.

Lauren recognized both these men. One, in particular, Charlie Swan.

"Gentlemen, may I help you?" Principal Greene asked. He stood up, "What can I do for you?"

"Lauren Mallory, stand up and put your hands behind your back," Officer Jason Reynolds said firmly.

Panic flooded through Lauren and she whipped her head around, looking at both her parents, then back at the officers.

"WHAT!?" she screeched, "What? No, I'm not doing that!"

"Stand up, please," Officer Reynolds repeated, placing his hand under her elbow.

"No!" she jerked back from his grip, getting out of her chair, "Get away, don't fucking touch me, you perv!"

Debbie jumped from her seat, "What the hell is going on!?"

"Dad, do something!" Lauren demanded, tears welling up in her eyes, "Don't let them take me!"

Officer Swan was the one that grabbed her, this time, forcing her arms behind her back. She cried out.

"That's brutality!" David shouted, "You don't need to be so rough, she's just a girl."

"Lauren Mallory," Officer Swan boomed and Lauren gasped, beginning to cry, "You are under arrest for the assault, harassment and stalking of Kit Algren—

"What!?" Lauren cried, struggling as the cuffs were secured around her wrists.

"There's been a mistake!" Debbie assured them, "She didn't do anything. We were just discussing that."

Officer Swan continued as if neither have spoken, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the court. With these rights in mind, are you still—

"Mom, help me!" Lauren sobbed, twisting her head as she was forced out of the office. She flexed against the handcuffs, trying to move her arms.

"It's okay, sweetie!" her dad struggled to keep up as she was marched out of the building, "Don't say anything, don't talk to anyone! I'm gonna fix this!"

"Fix it, _now_!" Lauren demanded, flinching when the cool wind outside whipped her face. It was raining.

"Lauren!"

Debbie's fingers against her dark purple shirt were fleeting.

"Ma'am you need to step back!" Officer Reynolds boomed.

"I'm going with her," Debbie shouted, "She's _my_ daughter, not yours!"

"She's under arrest," Officer Swan said, "You can't go with her in the car."

Lauren was trembling and it wasn't due to her not wearing her jacket. Why wouldn't they let her parents go with her?

The blue and red lights are little more than smudgy illuminations in the slanting rain. But she still spotted the white bodywork of a police car.

She spotted three of them.

Looking around frantically, blinking at the rain in her eyes, she spotted three other figures being led, also in handcuffs. It wasn't hard to spot Katie's red hair.

Lauren gritted her teeth. She was a good person, a good friend. She had always run to Jessica whenever she was having boy problems and had listened for hours when Jess whined about Mike. She had helped Ashley with her homework and Lauren had lent her a black sweater. Just the other day, she had put herself on the line and confronted Rosalie for making Katie cry.

She had made her friends popular, toted them around and held all the sleepovers at her house. Yet, in her time of need, when people were being mean and spreading fake rumors about her, they had all betrayed her and signed some bullshit contract, blaming her for Kit killing herself.

What if Kit had made Lauren want to kill herself? What if Kit had been mean to her and Lauren had just been defending herself? But of course, no one had bothered to fucking ask. No, Principal Greene pretended that he cared, but really, he was just blaming her and trying to embarrass her by hauling her parents in.

All because of her so-called "friends."

And now it was coming back to bite them in the ass because they had tried to pin this all on her and now they were getting arrested, too.

Wiggling her arms again, she lurched forward in the grip of Officer Swan, her teeth gnashing together.

"You bitches!" she screeched, glaring towards where she had spotted Katie, "You fucking bitches, say it to my fucking face!"

"Miss Mallory, you need to calm down," Officer Swan demanded, "Calm down, now!"

"It's what you get, this is what you get!" she screamed at them, "You think you can pin this all on me!?"

"This isn't her fault, she's been having trouble at school and hasn't been sleeping!" Lauren heard her mother shout, "All of this pressure and all of these lies. She's just a little girl, you can't do this to her! She didn't know any better!"

The back door was opened and Lauren bit her lip. She wanted to die. Right then and there, she was hoping she'd have a heart attack or that lightning would strike her down.

None of that happened.

She screamed insults at the girls until she could no longer do so, having been placed into the car with a mumbled "watch your head" as a warning.

She looked out the window where her parents were hitting it with their palms, promising that they'd get her out, that they loved her and would fix everything. Don't be scared, it'll all be okay.

All at once, her anger left as the police car began to pull out of its parking spot and Lauren felt her eyes burn with the tears that welled up. She bit her lip to stifle any noises, lowering her head as her body shook with her crying.

This was happening, this was actually happening. This was real life. She was in the back of a police car, possibly being taken to prison.

Quickly, she turned her head and lifted her hips, propping herself up so that she could try and see out of the back windshield.

Her parents were still standing there, talking and gesturing madly to each other and Lauren saw her mother point at her when they made eye contact.

When she could no longer see past the rain, she lowered her hips. She hiccuped and looked around. She took in the car's interior and moved her arms again, wincing at the discomfort.

There was no way she could free her arms and throw herself out of the car. She couldn't even bash her head against the window.

 _Flashback:_

 _"…And then Alice Cullen poked her head in and she was like: "Kit, are you okay!?" Lauren scoffed quietly and rolled her eyes._

 _"What the heck?" Ashley hissed, dipping an apple slice into a small tin of caramel, "She needs to mind her own business."_

 _"I know, right?" Lauren shook her head, "Like, it was so annoying and just so rude."_

 _She huffed. She had just come out of a "meeting" from the Front Office with Kit, Kit's father, and her own father, David._

 _It was something about Kit trying to get her schedule changed, and in front of the staff, Blake had tried to accuse Lauren of "being mean" to Kit or something like that._

 _Luckily, Lauren's father had stepped in and had assured Blake that everything was fine. It was high school and most likely a misunderstanding. Kit was new to town and had never lived in such a small population before. Just because she was having trouble making friends and fitting in, it didn't mean that people were being mean to her._

 _"Wait, so, what did Kit do?" Jess asked eagerly, "Like, were your dad and her dad yelling at each other?"_

 _Lauren shrugged, "Not really. My dad talked and he apologized or whatever—_

 _"He apologized!?" Ashley raged, "For what? You didn't do anything!"_

 _"No, I know," Lauren calmly sipped from her water bottle, "Oh my God, it was **so** embarrassing. Like, it wasn't a real apology, but Kit literally started crying and it was so awkward. I mean, how else are you supposed to react?"_

 _Gasps came from all of her friends, but it was Katie who inquired, "She was crying?"_

 _"Ya," Lauren sighed. There was so much embarrassment, that it had made Lauren physically uncomfortable, "She was sobbing like a baby and she said: "She's been mean to me all year!"_

 _"Oh my God," Ashley fanned herself, "She acts like she's five."_

 _"I know!" Lauren agreed, "So, she was crying like that and that's when Alice came in and asked what was wrong."_

 _"That's so stupid. It was none of her business," Jess paused and looked around, "But I don't see Kit. Where is she?"_

 _Lauren took a look around, herself, but didn't see Kit. She twisted to look at the table the Cullens always occupied, but she wasn't there either._

 _"Alice is there," Katie said and Lauren turned back to face her friends, "But Jasper isn't."_

 _"Yeah," Lauren said, "I don't see Kit. Maybe she went home. Her dad took her out of the office and I don't know where they went."_

 _"Wait, so, did they change her schedule?" Jess asked, frowning, "No fair. I tried to get mine changed in October and they wouldn't let me."_

 _"Don't worry, they didn't," Lauren assured, "I guess, like—it's such a small school, you know, that even if they changed every single one of her classes, she'd still have classes with us."_

 _"Us?" Katie parroted, leaning forward, "What do you mean, us?"_

 _"Yeah," Jess leaned forward, too, "What'd she say!?"_

 _Lauren smirked, "It's fine. She's seriously such a baby. She was crying and then she was like: 'I don't want classes with Jessica, Lauren, Ashely or Katie, anymore!' but she's such a whiner, I don't think anyone took her seriously."_

 _"Oh my gosh…" Katie breathed._

 _"Yeah, exactly," Lauren placed her elbow on the table, "It was so pathetic and I was even told sorry because they took me out of class ten minutes early."_

 _"They should have apologized!" Jess stabbed her salad with her fork, "Maybe now Kit will leave us alone."_

 _"Yeah," Lauren ran her fingers through her hair, "I hope so."_

 _End Flashback:_

On the inside, Lauren was back to her fuming. Kit had been the one to bother them. Every time people asked Lauren questions or when she and her fr—ex-friends had been called into the office, it was because Kit was making shit up and causing all of this drama.

There was such a thing as the First Amendment. Lauren wasn't obligated to like or be nice to anyone. She didn't have to praise Kit all because the brunette knew how to cry at the drop of a hat. Not everyone had to kiss the ground that Kit Algren walked on. Not everyone was obligated to cater to her like the Cullens did.

"The world does not revolve around her," she muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Officer Swan asked, "Did you say something?"

"Yeah, I did," Lauren stuck her chin out. She had seen enough Law & Order: SVU episodes, "I'd like a lawyer, please."

* * *

Everly was so tired, she couldn't have cried if she wanted to. She wanted to cry to wash away the heaviness in her chest. The sadness was still there, but not raw and painful. Now, it was an empty numbness—the kind that wouldn't lift.

"Everly, darling, please come with me to the cafeteria," Blake begged. He had been doing so for the past ten minutes, "Please? Even if you just have some apple juice or a Rice Krispies treat, then that's fine. Just come eat something."

"No, thank you," Everly whispered hoarsely.

She held Kit's hand limply in her own, her head on the mattress of Kit's hospital bed.

She was almost offended that Blake had asked her to eat something. Whether it was a possibility that she got low blood sugar or not, how could he ever think that she would leave Kit's side at a time like this?

 _Beep_.

.

.

 _Beep_.

.

.

 _Beep_.

.

.

 _Whoosh_.

"I can't feel anything," she mumbled to Blake.

This had never been part of their plan. It had never crossed her mind that Kit might not wake up. Their plan had always been what to do when Kit woke up. Who to call, where to go, what to do and how to do it.

"I'm not gonna make it," she moaned.

She couldn't lose Kit. She wouldn't be able to live. How could she ever be a good mother to Indigo when—

She couldn't think of words to finish the thought.

"Darling…" Blake rubbed her back and she closed her eyes.

 _Beep_.

.

.

 _Beep_.

.

.

 _Beep_.

.

.

 _Whoosh_.

The beeping was getting slower and Everly was tempted to press her free hand to Kit's chest, but couldn't find the strength to move.

"I got a call from Charlie," Blake's hand had moved to Everly's hair, "The girls were arrested and are being processed as we speak."

Everly didn't respond for several long minutes. Indigo was in the cafeteria with Vanessa, getting something to eat. Her youngest had barely said a peep, and with the lawsuit going forward, Blake had withdrawn her from school and she was doing the work at home.

Surprisingly, Indigo didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed much more at ease being at home, right now.

Part of their plan, had been to enroll Indigo in another school district. Probably Port Angeles, but Everly wasn't sure what Indigo would want to do after Kit…didn't wake up.

"Tell me what you want me to do," Blake pressed weakly, "Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

Everly exhaled softly, "…Don't leave me."

Blake took a deep breath through his nose and his eyes grew wet.

"Darling, I'm not going to leave you," he choked out, "Not ever. How many times do I have to tell you that you're stuck with me?"

Blake leaned forward and Everly allowed him to press a chaste kiss to her lips. His hand was still in a brace and she hoped he wasn't in any pain.

"I love you," Blake murmured, stroking her hair, "I wish I could say things are going to be okay, but—

He pressed his lips together, covering his mouth with his hand as he looked away from her.

Everly blinked at him, frowning as if crying was now something her brain could not process.

She used her free hand to take Blake's and squeezed, her lips twitching when he squeezed back a little harder.

"I don't know if things are going to be okay either," she whispered, "But we have to try. Kit would want us to try."

Blake nodded quickly and he sniffled, trying to stifle his tears, "I need you to eat something."

"I can't right now!" Everly snapped at him, "Please, leave me alone and let me just…let me just sit here with our daughter."

Blake didn't say anything after that, but still held her hand.

She sniffled, but no tears came. Kit's seventeenth birthday was coming up and it added to the notion that Everly thought herself as a bad mother.

Having a baby two days before your birthday, hadn't been easy for a young Everly. Baby or not, it was still _her_ day and no one else's. She had still wanted to celebrate when she turned eighteen. When she turned twenty and especially when she turned twenty-one.

As she and Kit both got older, Everly was reminded that it was no longer about her and was about Kit. She needed to fuss over Kit's birthday just as Everly fussed over her own. Kit needed to feel like she was important, particularly on the day she was born.

However, with Kit still being small, a still young and selfish Everly had been able to spin and concoct that she and Kit would celebrate their birthdays together. Kit had never complained about the arrangement and was quite floored.

Still, Everly aged and matured with motherhood and ever since Kit was five, she had tried really hard to crack down on Kit's birthday no matter how much Kit protested and declared that she liked celebrating their birthdays together. Everly had started to think that maybe she had brainwashed her daughter.

 _Flashback: _

_Hampton, New Hampshire, 2001:_

 _Everly giggled as she gently pushed Blake away. He had her pinned to the wall of their apartment, trailing insistent kisses from her shoulder to her neck._

 _"Stooop," she was breathless, "Blake, quit. We have to be parents now," she shivered, "You don't get to finish off my wine, anymore."_

 _She was still giggling when Blake captured her lips in a kiss, but before he could get too insistent and settle his hands on her hips, she moved to the side, laughing when he almost face planted into the door._

 _"You're drunk," she accused him, "You can't be drunk, we have children inside."_

 _"I'm fully aware," Blake wrapped his arms around Everly and she squeaked, "And I'm not drunk, just tipsy. I'm floating."_

 _"I'm making you coffee when we get inside," Everly declared, "Come on, seriously, Blake, it's late."_

 _"It's nine o'clock," Blake corrected, fishing out his keys, "Kit put Indi to bed an hour ago and she's probably sleeping, too. Indi hates going to bed without her."_

 _Everly nodded. That much was true, "Whatever. You're still drinking some coffee. The microwave was working this morning, wasn't it?"_

 _"Yes," Blake jiggled the door handle and wrenched it open, grimacing when Evelry shushed him._

 _It had been one of their rare nights out in a very long time. For their wedding anniversary, Morgan, a member of their church had gifted them a fifty dollar giftcard to a restaurant._

 _There was never a time to use it, but with Kit turning thirteen in July, both Everly and Blake had agreed to let her babysit for a few hours after some persistent begging. It's not like Kit had never done it before, but this was the first time she had done it at night._

 _' **With my mother calling every fifteen minutes** ,' Everly added silently._

 _Inside and with the door closed, Everly slipped off her shoes. By looks alone, there was really no reason. As soon as you walked into the apartment, there was no corridor or foyer. It was just the small living room. The ugly beige carpet was stained, gross and peeling in some places, but taking off shoes when entering someone's house, was a habit installed in Everly by her mother._

 _"I can't see anything," she heard Blake hiss._

 _"Okay, hang on," Everly felt along the wall, "I'm turning on the light."_

 _She flicked it on and almost screamed, quickly gasping when she remembered Indigo sleeping. She pressed a hand to her heart, feeling it beat hard against her chest._

 _Her twelve year old daughter was still in her day clothes and it didn't look like she had showered yet, either. She was sitting on the floor with her back pressed against the couch, in front of the television. It was off. She had her knees drawn up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them to keep them there._

 _"Kit?" she breathed, surprised, "What on **Earth** are you doing? Do you know what time it is!?"_

 _"You should be in bed," Blake scolded, "Were you watching TV when you weren't supposed to?"_

 _Kit exhaled softly, resting her chin on her arms. After a second, she turned so that her cheek rested on them. She was facing them, now, but her gaze was on Everly's shoes. There was a knit between her brow._

 _In a small voice, Kit declared, "I have no friends. Nobody likes me."_

 _Shoulders slumping, Everly looked over at Blake who looked just as sad and defeated as she did._

 _Blake sighed dramatically, his shoulders moving with the sound._

 _"Come on, Kit Kat," he headed towards the kitchen, "Let's talk. I think we have a couple teabags left."_

 _End Flashback:_

After some coaxing, Everly had been able to get Kit off the floor and into the kitchen. Once she had her tea and Blake had his coffee, Kit relayed to them that a boy in her class had made fun of her during lunch and had tossed a spotted banana into her lap, making the kids at the table laugh.

It had been before recess, too. Kit was in sixth grade and had no one to "hang out with" on the playground.

Everly and Blake had tried to convince Kit that people at school liked her and that she had her family and people at the church who absolutely adored her.

She would be in middle school the following year and not everyone in her class was attending the same one. Things would be different.

Plus, she was always so busy. Kit, herself had once said that she didn't have time for friends.

But that didn't mean she didn't want them.

Everly moved her head, so that she was still lying down, but facing Kit, this time. She held Kit's hand tighter.

"Tell me it's not possible," she whimpered, "Tell me it's not possible that I love you more."

* * *

Carlisle leaned against the wall, pretending to read though files as he eavesdropped.

While Everly had run to the bathroom, Vanessa and Indigo had returned from the cafeteria. Blake had allowed Indigo to go into Kit's room alone and upon returning, Everly was not happy. Especially when Blake kept her from entering.

"She's just a baby—

"She's not just a baby," Blake interrupted, "Give her some credit—

"I can't give her credit!" Everly hissed, "What if something happens?"

"Nothing is going to happen. She simply wanted a moment alone with her sister. Why is that so bad?"

"I just…" this time, Everly cut herself off with a sigh, either too tired to finish her sentence or she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Give her a couple more minutes," Blake pushed, "Okay? Then we'll both go in and check on her. If she gets upset, she'll come to us. She usually does."

Personally, Carlisle thought it was a good idea to give Indigo some time alone with Kit. Sometimes, it was easier for kids to say what they were feeling or what was on their mind when their parents weren't around, no matter how close they were.

There were probably some things, that Indigo wanted to tell Kit privately and that was okay.

He glanced at his watch as if he weren't counting down the minutes until he went to check on Kit again.

She was hanging in there, but only by a thread.

He had relayed to his family, that Everly and Blake had requested no one else be in the room when Kit passed.

The news was hard for his family, but they understood. Blake and Everly were Kit's parents and it would be hard enough. They didn't need the extra pairs of eyes and Carlisle understood wanting to keep that private.

He sighed, reading through the file again. In recent years, it had become a custom for doctors to touch base with a social worker, then recommend a grief counselor or other types of therapy when someone passed and the family or loved ones were deeply affected.

As a doctor, it would be the right thing to do, but Carlisle didn't think therapy could really help someone grieve over the loss of a child, no matter how many degrees they had.

' _Indigo might be too old for play therapy_ ,' Carlisle thought, ' _She's mature for her age_ … _like her sister_. _However_ , _maybe that's something she'd like to talk about_. _She likes to color_. _And play therapy_ _ **is**_ _marketed for ages three through eleven_.'

He'd look into it, he decided. It couldn't hurt, and Indigo might greatly benefit from it. Perhaps she was someone who needed some distraction while she talked.

Even so, he felt the same way about Indigo losing her sister as he did with Blake and Everly losing their daughter. They could all learn to cope healthily with the loss, but would never get over it.

Very briefly, he had spoken to Esme about what they would do when Kit passed and if services were held. She had suggested going to visit Tanya for awhile. She feared Emmett going off on his own and doing something rash.

' _Like when Edward rebelled and left us_ ,' Carlisle shuddered at the memories that assaulted him.

A shrill scream erupted from the direction of Kit's room and Carlisle's ears registered the delicate voice of Indigo's voice at the same time his feet carried him from the corridor to Kit's hospital room.

Blake and Everly had beat him to the room, the latter doubled over, her sobbing shaking Blake who she clutched to keep from falling.

"I didn't mean to scream!" Indigo cried, looking at Carlisle, "But she scared me!"

Carlisle rushed to Kit's bedside and immediately, he had to grip the bed to keep his legs from giving out. He shouted for more doctors and nurses over his shoulder to rush to ICU, room two immediately.

Because Kit's eyes were open.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **The end!**

 **No, this is not a joke. I know, it's very abrupt, but this truly is the last chapter to 'Over The Midnight Moon'. I'm not going to lie, I did get quite emotional when I finished this chapter. I couldn't believe It- I had actually finished a story. A very important one that brought back so many emotions, feelings, and memories.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **But don't fret. This story is not over. No, there will not be an epilogue...there will, in fact, possibly (most likely) be a sequel. How this sequel came about is a long story, but I'm already working on it, and I'd like to know how you guys feel about it. I did, after all, declare that I would permanently leave this fandom after finishing ' OTMM', but this story took turns that I wasn't expecting and how I originally plotted it out isn't at all how it's published, now.**

 **So, I have already plotted out and started writing the sequel and will post a prologue soon.**

 **Also, there are a lot of holes in this story as a lot of things I wanted to write were unable to "fit". So, I've been thinking of posting some outtakes and have some ideas for those. If you, the readers, have any requests or ever thought "Hmm. I wonder what would happen if Kit/Blake/Everly/Indigo/Emmett/Shelly/Willa did this, during this", then feel free to let me know in the reviews and I'll do my best to write it out for you.**

 **Thank you so much for everyone who's stuck by this story, followed it, PM'd me, left reviews and supported me. This story is based loosely on true events (it is a fantasy novel involving supernatural creatures) and again, it's been emotional for me. I've gotten teary writing a few chapters and I'm so humbled to everyone who's reached out to me, being able to relate to my characters or telling me that they've been in Kit's position and at grateful that they have a character to relate to.**

 **I am honored to have written something where so many people can relate and see themselves, even if it's not entirely positive.**

 **Thank you from the bottom of my heart,**

 **FictionChic**


	45. Note: (I guess I really am that author)

**Hey, guys!**

 **So, first of all, I came on here to say that I posted the prologue to the sequel for this story. It's Called ' Not Waiting For Daylight To Start'. So, go read it, review and make sure to follow so that you don't miss any updates (I feel like a YouTuber, but on FanFicion). Also, I'm working on some outtakes and will post them on this story once they're finished.**

 **Second of all, I just found out that ' Over The Midnight Moon' has been nominated on twifanfictionrecs for ' _Top Ten Fics Completed In March_ '. I'm not sure if that's a big thing on here, but I'm pretty happy and proud; and would appreciate if you guys would go to the site and vote for my story.**

 **Thank you,**

 **FictionChic**


	46. Outtake: Kit Is Given The Pills

Kit sniffed as she stuck her hands under the tap, her nose still running. When she decided her hands were wet enough, she pumped eight dollops of soap into her hands, working the mediocre scent into a foamy lather.

She cleared her throat, and grimaced at the burning feeling. She cleared it again. It was the type of throat pain you got when you were on the verge of a cold, but Kit knew that she wasn't getting sick.

When she was finished washing her hands, she shut off the water and ripped some paper towels from the dispenser, sighing heavily.

Emmett was probably waiting for her.

She always tried to not take too long, but sometimes, her body just wouldn't cooperate and do what she wanted it to do. She felt like she had rolled around in a mud pit and all she wanted to do, was go home and take a long shower.

She threw away the paper towels and reached into the front pocket of her school satchel, pulling out her mint strips. She knew they didn't get rid of the smell entirely and wouldn't last forever, but if she took five, then hopefully, she would be okay until she got home.

She popped open the cap, then gasped loudly, her heart sinking.

"Noooo," she drawled to herself, shaking her head, "No, no, no…"

It was empty.

"Oh my gosh, no," she ran a hand through her hair. Her mint strips were all gone and she couldn't recall when she had used them up.

So, now, she was going to have to go back to the lunchroom, her breath reeking of vomit and Emmett was sure to notice courtesy of his enhanced senses.

She couldn't have that. This was _hers_ and she wasn't ready to let go of her secret. Every time she blinked, Emmett became aware and it was getting to the point, where she was starting to resent Edward. Gift or not, he needed to mind his own business.

She wondered if it was possible that he was listening to her thoughts now.

Shaking the bitter thoughts from her head, she tried not to panic at her current situation. She couldn't just stay in the bathroom until lunch was over.

She startled, her heart jumping in her chest when she heard footsteps approaching. Quickly, she went back to the sink and turned on the water, sticking her hands under the faucet for the second time. She bit her lip, trying hard to look casual.

"Oh, well, look who it is!"

Kit closed her eyes as dread filled her system and her heart began to race. Lately, anytime she heard the voices of Lauren and her friends, Kit had begun to feel…terrified.

Right, now, if Lauren wanted to, she could beat Kit up and no one would know.

' _Just leave_ , _Kit_ ,' she thought to herself, shutting off the water with a shaking hand, ' _Don't say anything and don't look at her_.'

She ripped down a few more paper towels and dried her hands, desperately trying to focus her gaze anywhere else but on the other girl. For some reason, Lauren was just standing there, staring, having yet to go and occupy a stall.

With her hands once again dry, Kit kept her head down and began to take her leave. She supposed she was just going to have to go back to Emmett with her gross breath and come up with some kind of an excuse. Maybe he wouldn't notice. After all, she knew that human food smelled like dirt to Emmett and his kind.

However, she couldn't leave because Lauren held her ground, a purse over her shoulder and her hand on her hip.

' _I guess it's good that she's alone_ ,' Kit thought, releasing her bottom lip, ' _I think Jessica scares me more_ , _and she keeps saying she's going to beat me up_.'

"I—um," she whispered, "P-pardon me…"

"Pardon me," Lauren mocked, then she jerked her body forward, making Kit flinch back violently in retaliation.

Lauren laughed, a sound that echoed in the bathroom.

"Oh, God," she giggled, "That never gets old. Does it, Kit?"

"I—I," Kit stuttered, shifting her weight. She didn't say anything else, but peeked up at Lauren.

Lauren wasn't glaring at her or looking at Kit with disgust like she usually did. Instead, she looked intrigued, with her head tilted to one side, causing her blonde hair to spill over her shoulder. There was a smirk on her thin lips and she looked perfectly content just standing there.

Kit broke the gaze first, looking down at the ground. Maybe Lauren _was_ going to beat her up. Taunt her until she cried? Threaten her or make up some wild story?

"Look, Kit," Lauren exhaled softly, "Unlike you, I'm a good person. I'm popular, boys like me, I get good grades and I don't need to sleep around to get what I want. I'm not a fat whore like you."

Kit's head dropped even lower and she shuffled her feet slightly, until they were together. From this angle, she could look down at her thighs and she could see how gross and fat they still were. They almost ripped through her high-waisted jeans and there was still no gap.

But she was trying…

"Hey!"

She gasped loudly, the wind getting knocked out of her, when she was shoved into the bathroom wall.

Her head snapped up and Lauren was glaring at her.

"Were you listening to me?" Lauren hissed.

Immediately, Kit nodded, not wanting to know what would happen if she had hesitated or said no.

"Y-yes!" she said, quickening her nods, "I was."

"That's what I thought," Lauren snapped. She turned to reach into her purse, "These are for you."

' _Ow_ ,' Kit thought, wincing when she rolled her shoulders, ' _That hurt_. _It's going to bruise again_.'

Not wanting to be caught not paying attention, she flicked her eyes up to Lauren, just as the blonde pulled something out of her purse.

With a sweet smile, Lauren extended her arm and instinctively, Kit flinched a little, but relaxed when no strike came.

"These are for you," Lauren said kindly, "Because I'm a good person."

Kit peered at the zip-loc sandwich bags Lauren was holding out to her, but instead of food, they were filled with pills. One was filled with tiny sky blue pills. The other was filled with bigger, white pills.

"These," Lauren tossed her the white pills and Kit gasped as she caught them, "Are diet pills. And these ones are," she tossed the blue ones, "Are laxatives."

"Wait, what!?" Kit gasped, eyes widening. She stared at what was in her hands, "Laxatives?"

"They make you shit out extra calories," Lauren said and Kit's nose scrunched up at the vulgar language, "And they take away water weight. The diet pills? I mean, come on, do I really have to explain those? I know you're stupid, but are you that stupid?"

' _Aren't laxatives addicting_?' Kit's brain was a whirlwind, ' _And I thought diet pills could cause heart attacks_? _I can't take these_ … _well_ , _I mean_ , _I guess I could_ , _but what if I do it wrong and something happens_? _What if I have to go to the hospital_? _And laxatives are so gross…"_

Finally, she snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head, trying to hand the pills back to Lauren. She didn't want to say anything to set her off and Kit had to choose her words carefully.

"T-thank you…?" she said, "But, I don't do drugs."

"I know, _so_ unhealthy, right?" Lauren giggled, "Not like starving yourself or puking all the time," she shook her head, "Hypothetically, of course."

Kit resisted the urge to bite her lip, "I-I don't want these."

Lauren looked her up and down, "You need them."

Kit blinked, "I don't want them."

"Fine," surprising Kit, Lauren shrugged, "Garbage can is over there," she nodded towards the can, "See you later, Kit," she spat the name before strutting out of the bathroom, "Don't keep Emmett waiting too much longer."

The words floated behind her in a sing-song voice.

Kit squeezed the baggies between her hands, feeling the shape of the pills through the plastic. There were so many. She had never seen so much medicine before. They were almost fascinating to look at.

She swallowed thickly, glancing at the trashcan, then back at the pills. Just because she had them, didn't mean she had to take them. She was having so much trouble losing weight. There was no scale at home, but she could tell by the way she looked in the mirror that she wasn't losing anything.

She grimaced at the thought of using laxatives. It sounded awful. She had no problems going to the bathroom, so, what would happen if she took medication that made you go? Would it tear apart her stomach or force her to go when she didn't have to?

' _I can't get away with that at home_ ,' she sighed, ' _And I don't know how to take diet pills_.'

For all she knew, they weren't what Lauren said they were. What if she took one and they killed her or something?

"I really don't have time for this," she bit her lip, going back to look at herself in the mirror.

Part of her was tempted to take a diet pill, now.

Chewing the inside of her cheek, she undid her satchel and shoved the pills inside. It probably wasn't wise to throw them away at school. What if someone saw them in the trash and reported it to the principal? It would be easier to throw them away at home…easier to hide them.

With her eyes darting around, she left the bathroom and headed back towards the cafeteria. She still didn't know what to do about her breath.

' _I guess I can just sit down and take a quick bite or a sip of water_ ,' she decided.

She felt incredibly anxious as she walked through the lunchroom towards the table where she sat with Emmett. She kept her eyes trained on her feet.

"There you are, baby!" Emmett grinned at her, "I was starting to worry."

Kit smiled tightly as she took her seat. She picked up her strawberry flavored water and took a large sip, licking her lips.

"You don't need to worry about me," she said with a brighter smile, "I was making sure my outfit looked okay."

"It looks fantastic," Emmett stressed and Kit chuckled, taking another sip of water.

"Thanks," she said shyly.

From the other side of the cafeteria, Kit saw Lauren wink at her.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So, here's my first outtake! I'm sorry this took so long to upload, but my life has been crazy. I got a new job (which I love), but I barely have time to sleep, let alone sit down and write.**

 **It make me really sad, but I'm hoping to find more time on the weekends because I miss my characters and I miss writing, of course.**

 **Go check out the sequel to this story ' _Not Waiting For Daylight To Start_ ' and thanks to my BetaReader, Sabrina06 for editing this as well as the sequel.**

 **xx FictionChic**


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